Family of farm worker killed by hay bale hope for 'peace' after fatal accident inquiry
Preliminary hearing scheduled for December
The family of a farm worker who died after sustaining fatal injuries at a storage shed expressed hope they will be able to “move on with peace” following a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI).
Alistair Blair, a farmhand employed by Graham's The Family Dairy, died on November 4, 2024 after sustaining fatal injuries at Birkenwood Farm near Kippen, Stirling.
The 64-year-old is thought to have died while completing a task in a barn filled with hay bales.
The purpose of the FAI includes determining the cause of Mr Blair’s death, the circumstances in which he died, and establishing if any reasonable precautions could have been taken.
Mr Blair’s daughter, Lisa, said: “Dad was an honest, hard-working family man who did everything he could to provide for his family.
“Ever since he died we have been at a total loss – not just with grief but in struggling to process and accept any facts because there’s still so many unanswered questions about what happened.
“We therefore hope the FAI will help reveal how he died so we can finally get a degree of closure and be able to move on with peace.
She added: “And just maybe it might also help keep other farm workers safe so that other families don’t have to go through what we have over the last two years.”
The precise circumstances that led to the death have not been revealed but according to Digby Brown solicitors, it is understood Mr Blair was struck by hay bales that toppled over. A single bale was estimated to weigh 250 kilograms.
Mr Blair, a father-of-two and a grandfather-of-two, was found by a colleague who attempted to perform CPR but it was not successful.
A cause of death was later confirmed on Mr Blair’s death certificate as a blunt force trauma to the chest and “crushed by hay bale.”
According to Digby Brown, executives at Graham’s The Family Dairy are understood to have paid for Mr Blair’s funeral after the tragedy.
Police investigated the fatal work accident alongside the Health & Safety Executive and the findings were provided to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).
A health and safety prosecution against the farm was ruled out but the COPFS announced in October it will hold a mandatory FAI to identify any failings in the hope of making farm processes safer.
At the time, the COPFS’s Debbie Carroll explained: “The death of Alistair Blair occurred while in the course of his employment and as such a fatal accident inquiry is mandatory.
"Mr Blair's family will continue to be kept informed of significant developments as court proceedings progress."
A preliminary hearing for the FAI is to be held on December 11.
Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature, and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame.
Mairi Day, a partner at Digby Brown, who is helping the Blair family, said: “What happened to Mr Blair was a truly tragic and avoidable occurrence.
“Legal investigations are at an early stage so there is little which can be discussed at this time but we will continue to support the Blair family as they seek to uncover the truth about what happened.”
Grahams has been approached for comment.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.