The Shift from ‘Regulation’ to ‘Crime’

Abstract

On the afternoon of Friday, 5 September 2008, Alexander Wright, a 27-year-old junior geotechnical engineer, was collecting soil samples at a building site in Gloucestershire, UK. He was working alone in driving rain in a specially dug trench approximately four metres deep, which was not supported on either side by timber buttressing. Approximately 15 minutes later, the sides of the trench collapsed inwards, burying him under falling soil. Although buried over his head, he was able to call for help, and despite the efforts of those on site to dig him free, mud continued to fall into the trench faster than it could be dug out and he died of traumatic asphyxia several minutes later. An investigation established that Wright’s employer, Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings Plc., had disregarded industry guidance and concerns raised by employees and regulators in the past about safe trench-work, had failed to provide adequate training to employees about the hazards involved in this sort of operation, and had knowingly exposed Alexander Wright to a wholly unsafe system of work. This was an extremely serious, entirely avoidable, and highly culpable example of a work-related death.