A Dundee-based mechanic was crushed to death under a lorry as he carried out a repair at Orchardbank, near Forfar in 2019, a sheriff has ruled.
Experienced former army mechanic Gary Campbell, 29, from Glenrothes, was killed as he worked on an oil tanker.
A fatal accident inquiry was held at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court before Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane.
She heard how Mr Campbell had been beneath a Scania lorry to fix a burst airbag in an axle suspension unit.
He had inflated the remaining suspension units to create space beneath the vehicle and was working between the tyre and axle wing when another of the bags burst and he was crushed.
Sheriff McFarlane expressed her sympathy to Mr Campbell’s family and ruled he had not used proper safety measures, contributing to his death.
Fatal accident
The inquiry heard Mr Campbell, a workshop foreman, had just come on shift on March 15 2019 at the Scania sales and servicing centre at Wester Gourdie Industrial Estate, Dundee when he volunteered to travel to Forfar to examine the stricken lorry.
He had only held the position for 11 days, having previously worked for Scania at Nottingham.
He had been a mechanic for more than 11 years – formerly with the British Army – and several people spoke to the inquiry of his competence.
On arriving at Oilfast – an oil delivery firm – at Orchardbank, he Whatsapped a message back to the headquarters that he had identified the fault and got to work.
Michael Millar, area director with Oilfast, reported hearing a “loud bang” from outside his office and called the emergency services when he saw Mr Campbell, trapped.
Desperate attempts to save him were mounted by site workers, including an attempt to jack up the lorry, which was abandoned on the advice of one witness, a former army paramedic, who said it could make matters worse.
By this time, no pulse could be detected.
Emergency personnel arrived and Mr Campbell was declared dead 30 minutes after the accident.
Failure to follow training
Sheriff McFarlane ruled Mr Campbell had not followed proper procedures.
She said he should have ensured the vehicle was parked on firm and level ground, then raised the chassis using bottle jacks and inserted axle stands.
In her ruling, she wrote Mr Campbell did not have the correct equipment to carry out the job safely and should have returned to Dundee to collect it or arranged for the lorry to be transported.
“There was no reason for the job to be carried out as a matter of urgency and no pressure on Mr Campbell to complete the job quickly.”
She added: “It appears from all the evidence presented to the inquiry that Mr Campbell was suitably qualified and trained to carry out the task that he was sent to do.
“This was a routine task. He was well aware from his training that there were procedures to follow and a safe system of work to carry out the task.
“It is my opinion from all the evidence presented that Mr Campbell did not follow his training and took an unnecessary risk, which had tragic consequences.
“I cannot speculate as to why Mr Campbell decided to proceed with the repair without the appropriate tools or equipment.”
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