Former mining firm fined £200,000 over death of pit worker

A judge yesterday described safety measures at the pit as “wholly inadequate” prior to the death of father-of-two Gerry Gibson

Mr Gibson, 49. from Sherburn in Elmet, near Leeds, was killed on September 27 2011 when up to 15 tonnes of rock collapsed after roof bolts failed in a section where he was working.

Another miner, Phillip Sheldon, was trapped up to his waist but was rescued by colleagues desperately digging with their bare hands.

Leeds Crown Court has heard how only six days earlier a similar fall happened with the same powered roof support operating but on that occasion no one was injured. Judge Christopher Batty said: “It is quite clear to me that there was no proper investigation into the cause of the first fall.

“The measures that were taken were wholly inadequate and were not disseminated to those at risk.”

After the hearing, Mr Gibson’s widow Brenda said her husband had joined the workforce at Kellingley in 2004 as a face worker in a close-knit team. She said: “He easily made friends wherever he went and became a big part of the local community in Sherburn, where he was known ‘Gerry the Legend.’

“For 25 years, he was my best friend, my soulmate and the father of my two wonderful boys. He leaves behind treasured memories with so many people he touched in his life, and me with an enormous, irreplaceable hole in my life and my heart.”

The company, which was prosecuted as Juniper (No3) Ltd, the name given after UK Coal Mining Ltd went into administration in July, was also fined a further £50,000 over a separate health and safety breach.

This involved a methane gas explosion in 2010. Some 218 miners were safely evacuated from the mine but a safety curtain was found to have been badly maintained.