A trade union has called for stronger regulations for health and safety after a 74-year-old worker died last weekend when he became stranded in heavy snow while working on a wind farm in East Ayrshire.
The man and a younger colleague were left without heat or power at Craigdarroch Farm in New Cumnock. It is understood they struggled to call for help but it is not known how long they were in difficulty. Police Scotland’s Mountain Rescue Team traced the pair after the alarm was finally raised on Sunday night, 21st January. The elderly man was airlifted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary but died a short time later.
Stevie Dillion of Unite Scotland said:
“How long is it going to be before the Government and HSE take action to prevent these totally avoidable deaths? How many more workers will perish because nothing has been done to establish proper legal safeguards for the construction and maintenance of wind farms?”
“Our experience shows that some of the conditions which workers on wind farms have to put up with represent a return to the ‘bad old days’ in the construction industry before unionisation.”
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There is a very bad smell about this. Did these poor blokes have no communication equipment??? Looks to me if they were just forgotten about.
The ‘bad old days’ are returning in a lot of work situations. Unionisation? What’s that? Mrs. Thatcher did a very thorough job – she meant to smash the Unions, and she did so – they still exist – but how much strength do they have?
That’s the way of it, now. Are people interested? They’re so relieved to have a job, it looks like they’ll put up with anything.