Two painters on Forth and Tay bridges are killed in falls of 160ft and just 6ft

Published on Thursday 28 January 2010 21:34

TWO painters from the same firm have been killed within hours of each other in falls on the Forth Bridge and Tay Bridge.

The deaths are the first of their type on the rail crossings for more than 30 years.

Robert MacDonald, 52, of Harthill in North Lanarkshire, fell 160ft from the top of the 330ft-high Forth Bridge on to scaffolding below railway tracks at about 8:45pm on Wednesday.

David Rodger, 44, from Cowdenbeath in Fife, fell 6ft on to a ledge beneath the Tay Bridge at around 6:40am yesterday. A medical condition is believed to have been a factor in his death.

The men both worked for the Coventry-based ThyssenKrupp Palmers, which is one of several firms repainting the bridges for Network Rail. The firm was sub-contracted to Balfour Beatty for the Forth work, which is due to be completed next year, with the new paint expected to last 30 years.

David Simpson, Network Rail route director for Scotland, expressed "great sadness" at the deaths.

He said: "These tragic events have deeply shocked and saddened everyone linked to these projects. Such events have become extremely rare in the past decade as a result of rigorous safety regimes on both bridges. An investigation into the causes of these accidents is under way.

"Our thoughts today are with the family, friends and co-workers of these two men."

A separate investigation by the Office of Rail Regulation will check whether working practices contributed to the incidents. Railway safety director Ian Prosser said: "We expect to investigate both to find out exactly what happened and quickly identify whether more should be done to prevent other deaths or injuries."

The last recorded death of a worker in a fall on the Forth Bridge was 32 years ago. In 1992, a worker died when he was clipped by a train. Network Rail said there had been no recorded deaths on the Tay Bridge.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "Workers are usually roped secure, but there are walkways on the bridge where there is scaffolding up to chest height, and in these safe areas workers are often not roped up. More than 70 people died during the construction of the Forth Bridge, and even in the 1950s and 1960s you would see pictures of guys working on the bridge in hobnail boots going up and down the girders, without the kind of measures we have in place.

"Safety measures have become more and more rigorous through the years, and you just don't see things like that any more, which makes it all the more shocking that this has happened."

The construction union Ucatt called for increased vigilance following the deaths. It said Scotland had the second-highest number of construction deaths last year after London, with ten in 2008-9 – one fewer than the previous year.

Harry Frew, the union's regional secretary for Scotland, said: "These accidents demonstrate just how dangerous the construction industry remains. We must ensure that there is no complacency when it comes to safety."