West Fraser (Europe) Ltd – formerly known as Norbord – pleaded guilty to several health and safety breaches related to two incidents that took place at its plant in Cowie within six months of each other in 2020.
In the first Sean Gallagher, 29, a utility operator, suffered serious injuries after his leg became entangled in moving parts at the bottom of a storage bunker in January 2020.
In July of the same year, David McMillan, 39, a scaffolder, plunged more than 13ft to the ground after a rusty plate gave way on a rooftop gantry.
The company had been fined more than £2m in 2022 after another employee died after suffering serious burns at the same plant.
Stirling Sheriff Court heard that Gallagher became entangled in the machinery and had to use his own phone to alert a control room operator. He was eventually extracted from the machine and taken to hospital, with injuries including compound fractures to the tibia and fibula of his right leg.
The second incident happened on 21 July and resulted in McMillan suffering multiple fractures to his body, including his neck and ankle. He had been working at height when a plate on the steel gantry gave way causing him to fall to the ground. He spent 20 days in hospital.
The subsequent HSE investigation found there was no maintenance schedule or system of checks for the gantry structure. The steel flooring to the gantry was found to have been corroded in places, while some of the welds holding the plates in place were at the point of failure.
West Fraser (Europe) Ltd pleaded guilty to safety breaches and was fined £1,068,000 at Stirling Sheriff Court this week.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Stuart Easson, said: “This is the second time in five years this company has been handed a large fine for failing to protect workers.
“Although both men sustained very serious injuries in these latest incidents, both are lucky to be alive.
“We hope this outcome demonstrates that repeated failures of this nature are not acceptable.”
A spokesperson from West Fraser said: “Continuous improvement is at the forefront of our safety culture, and we have taken steps to ensure all our employees and contractors on our sites have the training, knowledge, and equipment to get the job done safely. Sharing and incorporating learning from past safety incidents to prevent similar incidents is an equally important aspect of West Fraser’s safety programme.
“While these safety incidents occurred prior to West Fraser’s acquisition of Norbord in 2021, the integration of Norbord has given us the opportunity to improve our West Fraser safety program and culture. Everything we do begins with our commitment to health and safety with our people and those working at our sites.”
