£40,000 fine for Catholic diocese of Dunkeld after 94 year-old man falls 30ft out of window
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld was penalised for health and safety failings which led to the death of a vulnerable person in Dundee in May, 2017.
In a release later published by the Crown Office, it was said Dundee Sheriff Court was told the incident saw a 94 year-old man fall nearly 30ft from a second-floor window of the
Wellburn Care Home in the early hours of May 30, 2017.
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Hide AdAn investigation by Police Scotland and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the bedroom window from which the man fell was unrestricted.
The diocese pled guilty to health and safety contraventions at the court on October 14 and was fined £40,000 on Tuesday.
Alistair Duncan, head of the Crown Office's health and safety investigation unit, said in a statement: "This tragic incident could easily have been prevented had suitable and
sufficient measures been put in place.
"A window restrictor would have prevented this from being able to happen."Hopefully this prosecution and the sentence will remind other organisations that failure to fulfil their obligations can have tragic consequences,”.
HSE inspectors also reported many of the windows at the care home had not been fitted with restrictors, which prevent them from being opened so much that a person could fall
out of them.
The report said it was heard the diocese failed to put in place well-recognised measures to protect residents who were elderly and may have been vulnerable.
The care home closed in June 2017.