Workman fell to death from Forth Bridge after taking an unauthorised shortcut

A WORKMAN fell to his death from the Forth Bridge after taking an unauthorised shortcut through the famous landmark, a sheriff has ruled.

Robert MacDonald, 52, fell 150ft and landed on scaffolding near the railway tracks in January 2010.

Mr MacDonald, a shotblaster from Harthill, Lanarkshire, was one of a nightshift painting crew of four men working for a subcontractor. The grandfather-of-two was part of the last crew to paint the bridge. His death was the first there since 1992.

Following a Fatal Accident Inquiry, Sheriff Ian Dunbar said the man could still be alive if he and co-workers had taken a different route.

He also concluded the death could have been avoided if chargehand Joe McGinlay, 56, who suggested taking the shortcut, had warned Mr MacDonald about a gap in the grating of the walkway where two sections of floor were missing.

The inquiry heard that instead of following the correct route to the section of the bridge where they were to work, which would have involved climbing 19 ladders, Mr McGinlay suggested taking a shortcut, and led the way.

Sheriff Dunbar has now found that the workers had not been put under any pressure by their employers to take a short cut and the accident was down to their decisions on the night.