Dawson Wam of Westoning Road, Greenfield, Bedfordshire, was fined £75,000 and ordered to pay costs of £34,425 at Chester Crown Court after pleading guilty to a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act that it failed to ensure the health and safety of their employees.

The court heard that piling rig operator 63 year-old Peter Roberts died on  10 May 2004, four days after an incident on the site of the Quinn Glass bottle factory at Elton, Chester.

On the day of the accident there was a delay in the delivery of concrete to Mr Robert's piling rig and concrete which remained in the flexible rubber hose used to connect a concrete pump to the rig began to harden, leading to a blockage.

After attempts to clear the blockage failed, it was decided to try using compressed air. The flexible hose was broken up into individual sections and at least two of these were blown out with compressed air without their ends being restrained. During the unblocking of the last section, the end of the hose whipped upwards and struck Mr Roberts on the head, causing fatal injuries.