A wind turbine manufacturer has been fined £26,000 after admitting to health and safety shortcomings at a site where a teenager died.

Basilio Brazao, 19, was working inside a turbine at the Earlsburn wind farm near Fintry, Stirlingshire.

He fell 100ft from a ladder and died instantly.

At Stirling Sheriff Court, Manchester-based firm Nordex UK admitted several health and safety breaches between November 2006 and May 2007, including failing to ensure the health and safety of their employees, and failing to provide a safe way of getting up and down turbines.


Sheriff Fiona Tait said there was "no link" between Mr Brazao's death and the health and safety offences Nordex UK pleaded guilty to.

At the time of the fall, Nordex used a fall arrest system.

Although the Health and Safety Executive had instructed them to upgrade to a lift system for anti-fall security, they had not done them.

Prosecutor Gavin Callaghan said there was a "total failing from the accused to meet the regulations".

Defence counsel Ray Gribben said the company had been "practically insolvent" in the past two financial years.