Bosses' remorse over double death crash which killed Doncaster welders

Mick Morris and Zac Payne died after the van they were in crashed after the driver fell asleep at wheel.

The firm, Renown, was later convicted under the Health and Safety at Work Act for failing to ensure the men were sufficiently rested to work and travel safely, and accepted the court’s findings.

In a statement, Renown said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mick Morris and Zac Payne. We express our deep remorse and regret for the terrible events nearly seven years ago that resulted in the loss of two of our most respected colleagues.

“Renown is a responsible, conscientious and safety-conscious company and this tragic loss has been felt by all who work for and are associated with the company.

“All our policies and procedures applicable at the time came under considerable scrutiny by the Office of Rail and Road and the court and were found to have been appropriate and sensible.

“Regrettably, they were not implemented properly at local level and this resulted in a member of staff being sent out to work when a properly conducted risk assessment would not have permitted it. Renown deeply regrets this.

“We have learned lessons from this incident and have reviewed and improved our fatigue management over the past seven years. We welcome the support we have received from Network Rail awarding longer term contracts allowing us to invest in the business, develop new resources and employ more local labour on PAYE enabling us to better manage travel times and reduce fatigue risk.

“Renown was awarded first tier supplier status for the provision of welding services to Network Rail. This has allowed us to invest in expanding our main rail welding depot in Doncaster and to open new rail welding depots.

“We remain deeply remorseful of the tragic events of seven years ago but we have done all that we possibly can to learn all safety lessons arising to minimise opportunities for these terrible events to occur again.”