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Mining Company Fined After Experienced Electrician Killed by Mine Fan
HSE said the fan’s guard was badly degraded and missing mesh, and the company was ordered to pay a £11,250 victim surcharge.
- On Tuesday, Inverness Sheriff Court fined Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited more than £150,000 and ordered a £11,250 victim surcharge following electrician Colin Thwaites's fatal 2024 mine incident.
- Colin Thwaites died on October 21, 2024, while restoring power at the Morvern Peninsula mine after Storm Ashley caused damage to the facility's electrical systems.
- The Health and Safety Executive found the intake guard in a "seriously degraded condition" and discovered a series of "serious failings" in how the fan was modified, commissioned, and maintained.
- Following the court result, Caroline Thwaites said she felt "robbed of a life," while a Morvern Community Council spokesperson stated the community was "in shock" after the tragedy.
- Kevin Wilson, Health and Safety Executive's chief inspector of mines and quarries, stated this was an "entirely preventable death," emphasizing that operators have clear legal duties to ensure equipment is safely commissioned and maintained.
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Electrician killed by blades of giant fan in Scottish quartz mine
Colin Thwaites, who had spent his entire career in mining, died working in the Lochaline Quartz Sand mine (Picture: HSE) An ‘experienced’ electrician was killed when he was trapped by the blades of a badly guarded fan in an underground mine. Colin Thwaites, 61, was inspecting storm damage to Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited’s mine in the Highlands when an apprentice found him fatally wounded. Mr Thwaites was fatally struck by the blades of a fan ci…
·London, United Kingdom
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources16
Leaning Left6Leaning Right0Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution54% Center
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources are Center
54% Center
L 46%
C 54%
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