Alfred McAlpine pays £255,000 after motorcyclist killed

Prosecutions and Claims |
14.03.2008

Roadbuilder Alfred McAlpine has been fined £250,000 following the death of a motorcyclist who crashed into concrete barriers at roadworks in Kent.

An HSE investigation found that warning signs to alert motorists that the road ahead was closed had been missing for two months.

The accident happened in August 2005 at roadworks on the former A228 road near Hoo on the Isle of Grain.

Alfred McAlpine had constructed a new section of dual carriageway running parallel to the old, single carriageway A228. The old A228 was closed while it was downgraded to a local through-road and a series of "Road closed ahead" signs and cones were placed along the route. But by June 2005, the warning signs had disappeared and there was nothing to warn drivers about the roadworks.

The motorcyclist was killed on 29 August when his bike hit temporary concrete crash barriers, each weighing more than two tonnes, that had been laid in a line across the road. 

HSE inspector John Underwood said the accident was "wholly avoidable".

"The 'Road closed' signs and the traffic cones had been missing for more than eight weeks before the incident yet the contractor was working in the area almost every day.

"The temporary traffic management system should have been checked at least once a day but this was never done properly. The barriers were only 450mm high and from a distance they could have been mistaken for a shadow or a change in the colour of the tarmac. It is clear the motorcyclist braked hard and tried to avoid the barriers but could not stop in time.

"It is vital that contractors provide clear information to the travelling public on the approach to roadworks. Some of the original signs and cones may have been vandalised or damaged by construction traffic or used in other places by construction workers. Contractors must actively manage inspections and replace damaged and missing items."

Alfred McAlpine Capital Projects admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act by failing to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of non-employees.

On 14 March at Maidstone Crown Court the firm was fined £250,000 plus £5,859 costs.