A firm in Somerset has been sentenced in court after a quarry blast saw huge rocks fired outside a designated safety zone.
The rocks, weighting up to 15 kilos each, were sent flying across a public road and narrowly missed employees of WCD Sleeman and Sons Ltd. They landed on the other side of the road, putting pedestrians and motorists at serious risk.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted WCD Sleeman and Sons Ltd after an investigation uncovered serious control failings.
It found that the firm had used too much explosive in the organised blast at Moons Hill Quarry, near Shepton Mallet and had not put adequate safety measures in place.
Bristol Crown Court heard that workers saw rocks flying over their heads before landing all around them and further along the public road.
The investigation revealed that the firm had also been fined previously for a similar Devon incident, which resulted in them being fined £20,000 along with £17,000 in costs.
WCD Sleeman and Sons Ltd. pleading guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in this incident and was fined £30,000 along with £20,000 in costs.
Quintin Hasler, Partner at Russell Worth, said: “It is incredibly concerning that the firm in question here has failed to sufficiently plan for this operation after being prosecuted for a very similar offence previously.
The incident put not only workers but members of the general public at serious risk of injury or even death and it is a miracle that no-one was hurt as a result of this blast.”
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