A construction firm has been fined £160,000 after a worker was killed after a vehicle he was driving fell down an embankment.

Merchant Homes employed Scott Bradley, 44, who suffered a fatal head injury following the tragic incident at the major new build in Lochwood Gardens in Easterhouse, Glasgow, on 11 May 2022.

An investigation was immediately launched by health and safety authorities.

The Glasgow firm – which has since gone into liquidation – was the main contractor for the Easterhouse site.

The inquest concluded there were problems with a “traffic route” in an area Mr Bradley was working on that day.

The dealer failed to ensure that it was suitable for factory vehicles and did not carry out a proper hazard assessment.

It also emerged that there had been previous concerns about the site.

Merchant Homes pleaded guilty to a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Sentencing on Tuesday morning, Sheriff Louise Arrol KC said: “In this case the harm caused could not have been greater.

“The consequence of the failure of the company is that Mr. Bradley lost his life.

“His family have been devastated by his death – he was an experienced officer and his colleagues spoke well of him.

“He was a stepfather to six children and a father to one child with his wife.

“I said on the last occasion that I express my condolences and I do so again.

“The sentence we have imposed is in no way proportionate to his loss.”

The court previously heard that Mr Bradley lived with his wife and family in Larkhall, Lanarkshire.

He was an experienced telehandler driver – a vehicle used to lift heavy loads on construction sites.

Mr Bradley was highly regarded, with colleagues noting how “safety conscious” he was.

At the time, he was using the telehandler to move the scaffolding pieces.

Fiscal Richard Brown said: “During the reverse, the offside right rear wheel of the telehandler slid over the edge of the embankment.

“This caused the telehandler to overturn and Mr Bradley was partially ejected from the cab and crushed.”

There was a witness in the nearby playing fields who called 999.

This person then went through a gap in the fence to help Mr Bradley. Other construction workers also rushed to their aid.

Mr. Bradley suffered a serious head injury.

Emergency crews arrived to try to free Mr Bradley, who was then unconscious, from the telehandler.

They got him out, but he didn’t survive.

The Health and Safety Executive arrived and immediately had several concerns, including the safety and orderliness of the site.

There were also “several examples” of uneven ground, meaning the scaffolding was not properly supported.

A series of “improvement notices” were then issued.

The court heard there were no “risk assessments to take account of the hazards and risks associated” with vehicles such as telehandlers on the traffic route Mr Bradley had worked on.

Mr Brown: “Unevenness in the road increased the risk of the wheeled rig becoming unstable and overturning.”

This included the possibility of a vehicle going down an embankment.

The hearing was told Merchant Homes had complied with improvement notices issued at the time of the inquiry.

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