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Developer fined after young worker crushed to death by concrete blocks
Cristina Lago Deputy Editor
Martin Dunford’s life was cut short after a stack of concrete blocks toppled over him
Piper Homes has been fined £300,000 after a 33-year-old kitchen fitter was crushed to death by a pack of concrete blocks at a site in the Cotswolds.
Martin Dunford, from Pocklington in Yorkshire, had been working near Chipping Campden where Piper Homes was the principal contractor on the construction of a residential development.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that on 23 January 2020, Dunford had walked around a lorry loader to talk to a driver about how long he would be on site, as he needed access to one of the properties being built.
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A stack of concrete blocks that had been placed on top of another stack supported by a wooden pallet toppled over, pinning him against the side of the lorry.
An HSE investigation found that Piper Homes failed to ensure that persons were excluded from delivery areas
He sustained severe internal and head injuries and died on site.
The HSE investigation found that Piper Homes had failed to ensure that a suitable, level storage area was provided for the safe offloading of construction materials.
It also failed to ensure that wooden pallets in a suitable condition were used for the storage of construction materials and that persons were excluded from delivery areas.
Piper Homes Construction Ltd, which is currently in liquidation, of Lace Market Square, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015.
The company was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £5,236 in costs at Cheltenham Magistrates Court on 29 April 2025.
‘His life was unjustly cut short’
Dunford’s sister, Tracey Hunter, said in a statement on behalf of his family: “Martin went to work and never came home. His life was unjustly cut short.
“Little did he know on that date that he was going to work on a site that had ongoing issues and was not following HSE guidelines for working safely on a construction site.
“Martin was very much loved by his family and friends. He is missed every day and nothing can ever fill the hole that is left by him no longer being here.
“We, his family, and friends are still all navigating throughout this endless period of grief and today’s [29 April] verdict is the start of some sense of justice towards his senseless death.”
The November/December 2025 issue of Construction Management magazine is now available to read in digital format.
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