Firm fined £56,000 after worker crushed to death

A building company has been fined more than £50,000 after an employee was crushed to death by a 1.8m tall retaining wall in Bath.

- Sarah Lumley

Gary Anstey, 57, was working for H Mealing & Sons Limited, of Northend, Batheaston, at a construction site at a school when the incident happened.

He was working to build a new classroom at Swainswick School when the wall collapsed on him on March 19, 2019.

Gary had recently become a grandfather for the first time, and left behind his two sons Shaun and Scott, as well as his wife Anne - with whom he was due to celebrate his 36th wedding anniversary on the very day of his death.

Now, more than six years on, an investigation into H Mealing & Sons Ltd, conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), has found that the company failed to properly plan and supervise the construction of the retaining wall at Swainswick School.

This led to the wall becoming unstable when a large load of aggregate was placed against the incomplete wall, which was not supported.