FP McCann fined £110k after subcontractor killed in quarry incident

Pictured: William Houston sadly died falling an incident at a County Antrim quarry.

A quarry company has been fined £110,000 after a subcontractor died when a large stone fell from height at a County Antrim site.

FP McCann Limited was sentenced at Antrim Crown Court on Friday (13 March) after pleading guilty to a single health and safety offence following the death of subcontractor William Houston.

The prosecution followed an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) into the fatal incident at Loughside Quarry, 146 Belfast Road, on 23 April 2023.

Fatal incident at quarry

The court heard Mr Houston had been working at the quarry operating a dumper truck, removing stone from a cone crushing plant and transporting it to stockpiles.

Around lunchtime that day, the cone crusher stopped after a blockage was reported.

After the plant was isolated, a large stone — weighing about 45kg — was identified as the cause.

The stone was manually removed from the crusher and carried onto a raised conveyor catwalk approximately 15 feet above ground level.

During the process, the stone fell through the railings of the catwalk while Mr Houston was walking below.

He was struck by the falling rock and later died in hospital from the injuries he sustained.

Safety warning after court hearing

The case was brought by prosecutors from the Public Prosecution Service’s Fraud and Departmental Section, working alongside HSENI investigators.

Following the hearing, HSENI inspector Sophie Pearson, from the organisation’s Major Investigation Team, said the death highlighted the importance of preventing materials from falling from height.

“This was a tragic incident,” she said.

“Employers must take adequate measures to prevent materials or objects falling from height. They must stop and consider what risks are involved in the task and take the necessary action, so that harm does not occur to employees, or as in this tragic incident, to someone like Mr Houston who was subcontracted to work at the site.”

She added that where it is not reasonably practicable to prevent objects from falling, employers must ensure suitable protective measures are in place.

“A simple solution such as an exclusion zone can be easily implemented to reduce the risk to workers,” she said.

Company fined in court

FP McCann Limited was convicted of breaching Article 5(1) of the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.

The company received a £110,000 fine at Antrim Crown Court.

At a glance

• FP McCann Limited has been fined £110,000 following a fatal quarry incident.

• Subcontractor William Houston died after being struck by a falling stone.

• The incident occurred at Loughside Quarry, Belfast Road, on 23 April 2023.

• A 45kg stone fell from a raised conveyor catwalk about 15ft high.

  
  

• Mr Houston was walking below when the stone fell through the railings.

• He later died in hospital from the injuries sustained.

• The case followed an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland.

• HSENI warned employers must prevent objects falling from height or protect workers from the risk.

• The company pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work (NI) Order 1978.

• The sentence was delivered at Antrim Crown Court on 13 March 2026.