A company has been fined £450,000 and the firm’s director has received a suspended prison sentence after a labourer was crushed to death at a construction site in Hockley, Birmingham.

HACS Construction Limited was fined £330,500 after a worker was struck on the head and killed by a 16-ton excavator.

The coroner who investigated the death of an HS2 worker last April has said in his report that “action should be taken to prevent future deaths”.

The number of fatalities in construction has risen by 55% since last year and is the highest of any industry according to HSE data.

A 26-year-old worker from Laing O’Rourke died on Monday (14 August) following a serious acccident at the Bramley-Moore Dock stadium construction site.

A Balfour Beatty worker has died following a serious incident at the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston site in Reading on 6 July.

The construction sector recorded 45 fatal injuries during the last year, up from 29 the previous year total, the latest HSE data shows.