Never forget

In part 2 of our series in the run-up to International Workers’ Memorial Day on Friday (April 28), UNITElive hears from Andy Wilson, Unite senior shop steward at East Ayrshire, who recounts what happened on Monday, April 6, 2009 — a day he will never forget.

It is the day that his colleague Robert McGill was killed at work.

McGill, a 37-year-old electrician and Unite member, had been tasked with changing lightbulbs in the sports hall of Kilmarnock Academy. McGill and a colleague were using a mobile elevating platform, also known as an airlift, to complete their work.

In a terrible accident, the airlift toppled over and McGill fell 20 feet suffering severe head and brain injuries. He was rushed to hospital but was declared dead later that evening.

Although Wilson wasn’t directly involved in the accident he was called back into work where management informed him of what had happened. Several days later, Wilson along with a Unite official met McGill’s sister to talk about a legal case for compensation.

Wilson still sees McGill’s sister as she works in the local Clarks shop, where Wilson takes his grandson to get his feet measured. Each visit involves a “chat about Robert”.

While Wilson was affected by the tragedy, his experience pales into insignificance compared to McGill’s fellow worker, who witnessed the accident. The worker involved never recovered from what happened. In the following years he always had to take time off as the anniversary of the accident approached and eventually had to take early retirement.

No training

The investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that the workers were using the airlift without stabilisers. Neither worker had ever received any training in the safe operation of the lift nor were there any records that the lift had ever been serviced.

The council pleaded guilty to offences under the Health and Safety Act and were fined £56,000. The sheriff said the level of the fine was not taken as a value on the life of Mr McGill. He said, “The loss of Mr McGill to his family must be regarded as being beyond any monetary figure and be priceless.”

Wilson’s personal experience underlines why he is passionate about safety.

“Councils are meant to be really good at health and safety and can go over the top, but this tragedy shows that this isn’t always the case,” he said. “You can never do enough to keep workers safe.”

Annually on Workers Memorial Day in Kilmarnock there is a ceremony in a memorial garden around a ‘tree of life’. Wilson will be in attendance.

“There is no Workers’ Memorial Day when I don’t think about Robert,” he says.

For more information about Unite’s involvement in International Workers’ Memorial Day on Friday (April 28), see our web page here.