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£1.8m fine for South West Water after employee drowns (2 May 2017)

Date: 02/05/2017
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, £1.8m fine for South West Water after employee drowns

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted South West Water, after the death of 54-year-old catchment operator, Robert Geach.

On 30 December 2013, Mr Geach was working on the sand filtration unit at the Falmouth Waste Water Treatment Works, when a colleague discovered him facedown in water. He died at the scene, having drowned.

Mr Geach was last seen working on the top of the unit several hours before he was found by his colleague – who was responding to the lone worker system.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found the company had failed to identify the risk of drowning with the maintenance activity undertaken by Mr Geach and his colleagues on a regular basis.

At Truro Crown Court, South West Water Ltd of Peninsula House, Rydon Lane in Exeter pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The company was fined £1.8million and ordered to pay costs of £41,607.71.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Georgina Speake said:

“This tragic case could have been prevented if the company had reduced the size of the hatch used to access the sand filters – and properly considered the hazards of the operation, including how close Mr Geach was to the water.

“Mr Geach was exposed to the risk of drowning – which could have been easily been controlled if the task had been properly planned and simple measures adopted earlier, which South West Water failed to do adequately.”


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