On January 25 Ballyrolly Construction Ltd were fined £50,000 for a breach of Regulation 11(1) of the Construction (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996, at Downpatrick Crown Court held in Newtownards. The incident involved the collapse of an excavation, at Drumfad Bay in Millisle on 8th May 2006, and resulted in the death of Mr James Parker, age 49.

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Ken Logan Head of Construction Group said: "This tragic incident serves to highlight the dangers of working in excavations. It is essential that best practice is adopted by the construction industry when carrying out work in excavations if this type of incident is not to be repeated. The level of fine indicates that the courts are taking a serious view of breaches of health and safety legislation."

Further information on all aspects of workplace health and safety are available from the One-2-One Helpline 0800 0320 121 or on the HSENI website www.hseni.gov.uk

(GK/JM)