Farm fined after schoolboy’s death

A farm partnership in Scotland has been fined £13,500 after a schoolboy died following an accident on the farm.

Austin Irvine, 13, died after falling through the roof of a farm building at Inverlochy Farm in Tomintoul, Ballindalloch.

He had been lifted up to roof level in the bucket of a tractor by his stepfather, Raymond Irvine.

As he walked across the roof to watch a gutter being cleared, he fell nearly 15 feet through a skylight, sustaining fatal head injuries.

A Health and Safety Executive investigation into the incident in August 2006 found no measures had been taken to prevent falls through the corrugated cement sheeting which made up the roof.

At Elgin Magistrates’ Court on 25 August, John Irvine and Son – the farm company run by Raymond and his parents John and Elizabeth – pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety rules.

HSE inspector Ann Poyner said the incident could have been prevented if the partnership had properly assessed the risks of working on a fragile roof and taken steps to prevent falls.

“Farmers and those working in agriculture frequently carry out roof work, yet fail to appreciate the risks involved are always substantial,” she added.

“If possible, avoid going on fragile roofs and always keep children clear of high risk activities.

“If you are planning this type of work should always make sure you have the right equipment to ensure that the work area is strong enough to work from and that guard rails are in place at open edges and suitable access is provided.”

Austin’s mother, Sasha, said she hoped the accident would force the farming industry to take child safety more seriously.

“People are living in the Dark Ages,” she told the Daily Record.

“Farms are dangerous and children shouldn’t be sent out to work these days.

“Many farmers have the attitude, ‘Och, it’ll be fine’. But the same types of accidents keep happening.”