Mr Gideon Irvine, aged 44 of Falkirk, died on Sunday 22 August 2004 when a large section of the former Caledonia Mill which was being demolished at the time, fell onto him without warning as he was operating an excavator on the site.
 
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned demolition companies of the importance of finding out as much as possible about the buildings or structures that they are about to demolish.
 
HSE Inspector Murray Provan commented after the case: "This accident was entirely foreseeable. The demolition company had not carried out a survey of Caledonia Mill as they had been contracted to do and as health and safety legislation and the British Standard for Demolition strongly suggests should be done in order to identify structural hazards to prevent premature collapse.
 
"The company relied entirely on drawings prepared around 1989 but made no effort to search archives or pursue other reasonable lines of enquiry to find out as much as it could about the large silo building at Caledonia Mill. The building itself was actually two separate structures, built at different times, but, superficially, similar in appearance. The company did not seek the advice of a competent structural engineer, who would have been able to spot the differences between the structures very quickly. His advice would have crucial in preventing the collapse of the last section of the "new" building, which abutted directly onto the "older "part of the building.
 
"Demolition is an inherently risky part of the construction industry. The very nature of the work involves bringing buildings or other structures down and there is plenty of advice and guidance on how to do this work safely and with the minimum of risk to workers and members of the public."