Builders merchant employee involved in fatal accident

A member of staff at Build Center in Derby was tragically killed this week when a heavy sheet of glass fell on him.
Emergency services were called to the Build Center on Ascot Drive in the city after the glass fell on 35-year-old Alan McKenna.

Health and Safety officials are carrying out inquiries at the building to discover the cause of the accident.

Build Center said in a statement that managers and staff were “shocked and saddened” by the incident, thought to be the firm’s first workplace death.

The statement said: “We can confirm there was a fatal accident involving an employee at our Glass Center branch in Derby on Tuesday.

“We are extremely shocked and saddened by this tragic incident, and our thoughts and sincere sympathies are with the employee’s family.

“We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities with their investigations into this tragic incident.”

“The safety of our employees is paramount to Build Center and we have had an excellent track record in this area. We are also conducting our own thorough investigation into what is believed to be the company’s first workplace fatality.”

Geoff Newsham, 38, a glass worker at Alvaston Glass, just a few yards from Build Center, said this was the worst accident he had heard about in more than 20 years in the trade.

He said: “The news came as a total shock. We were all dumbstruck. Alan was a quiet man. He was shy but he was friendly. He enjoyed a few pints with his friends.

“Me and my brother used to play football with him when we were younger. We grew up only a few streets away.

“He was the sort of person who would do anything for you.”