Devastated Scottish widow calls for changes to prevent more tragedies after husband dies at work

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4 days ago

The devastated widow of a Scottish fish farm worker who was tragically killed on the job is calling for more serious consequences for companies who fail to protect their employees.
Catriona Lockhart's husband Clive Hendry died when he drowned in a horror industrial incident, the 58-year-old was crushed between a boat and a floating pontoon before slipping into the water during a 'touch and go' transfer at salmon giant Mowi's Ardintoul site in the North West Highlands in February 2020.
The company was fined £800,000 after it was found to have breached health and safety laws, reports The Daily Record.
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However, Catriona says that firms should face criminal charges if they fail to keep their staff safe.
Speaking to the Record, she said: 'Small fines mean nothing to multi-million pound companies. There has never been any prosecutions of employers in Scotland whose failings have led to the tragic deaths of their workers.
'They need to face the full force of the law and they should face prison if they are held accountable for deaths.'
Shocking statistics showed that during 2024/25, 26 people in Scotland died due to workplace accidents, which is one in every 100,000 workers. This was an increase from 18 the previous year.
Construction, agriculture, forestry and transport industries saw the most tragedies due to falls from height, being struck by moving objects or collapsing equipment. The latest UK-wide data showed men accounted for 95% of all fatalities, while 40% of all incidents involved people over the age of 60.
Now, 58, Catriona says major change is needed to prevent further tragedies as 'no one should go to work and not return home'.
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Catriona added: 'Still to this day I never got proper justice for Clive. Real justice would be allowing families to have their day in court, letting the public hear exactly what failings occurred and who was responsible.
'A company can just plead guilty and take a fine. How is that justice?'
Catriona says she is reminded of Clive's death every day. The couple were together for 28 years and shared a croft in a village near to Loch Alsh where Clive tragically died.
She said: 'You never think your partner is going to go to work and not return home. No one should ever have to go through what I did. But the sad reality is it will happen again.
'Health and safety in Scotland is terrible and these deaths will keep re-occurring.
'Every day I'm reminded of Clive and his death. I still see the boat that killed him out on the water.'
David Bell, senior associate at law firm Irwin Mitchell who specialises in fatal accident claims, said: 'To see the fatal workplace rate increase so sharply over seven months is truly alarming.
'The HSE data is really useful and contributes to making various sectors safer but ultimately it falls to employers as all too often fatal workplace accidents are the result of negligence when corners have been cut on PPE, safe working processes or completing risk assessments.
'I urge officials to review what could be done to guarantee safety compliance at the beginning of tasks rather than review safety procedures in hindsight – I believe tougher penalties on those who fail to follow basic life-saving guidance would also be beneficial.
'Because the real tragedy is these 26 Scottish incidents represent 26 families, each now without a loved one and facing a painful and uncertain future.
'No one deserves to go to work feeling that they or their loved one may not return home.'
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