Two companies have been fined a total of £1.3million following the death of a scaffolder who was just weeks away from his wedding day.
The court was told John Altoft, 29, from Scunthorpe was killed when he fell to his death after being struck by falling debris inside an industrial tower.
On 18 January 2012, a team from Cape Industrial Services Ltd were installing an access scaffold to enable the relining of the inside of a steel plated tapered cylindrical structure at the Cemex Cement Works in Rugby.
Warwick Crown Court heard the team was working inside the Cyclone 1 tower when concrete debris dropped on to John Altoft causing him to fall seven metres to the bottom of the structure causing fatal head injuries. His colleague Ty Smart was also seriously injured, suffering serious wrist and arm fractures and has been unable to work since the incident.
Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) told the court that both Cemex UK Operations Ltd and Cape Industrial Services Ltd Scaffolding should have co-ordinated and planned this high risk work to a higher standard.