A whistleblower has claimed he was sacked by a north-east energy firm after he reported a child had driven a digger on a major construction site and workers were taking drugs.
Roger Hammond alleges Vattenfall terminated his contract because it wanted to cover up significant health and safety breaches – including widespread substance abuse – at its Aberdeen Offshore Windfarm (AOWF) onshore substation at Blackdog.
However, the company has argued that Mr Hammond was sacked from his role as site manager because of his fractured relationship with his colleagues, one of whom accused him of sexual harassment.
Yesterday he gave evidence at an employment tribunal in Aberdeeen where he is suing the firm for unfair dismissal.
The tribunal heard that Mr Hammond, from Warrington, found out that a health and safety officer at the development allowed her daughter to drive an excavator while contractor JM Murphy’s regional manager held onto the side of the vehicle.
But when he alerted his superiors about the incident, which took place last December, he claimed they failed to take any action.
Mr Hammond, whose real first name is Barry, also said in a witness statement that he suspected one of his colleagues was smoking cannabis and claimed to have witnessed the same person taking cocaine in his trailer.
He further alleged that he had been told by a worker on the site that a number of staff had been on a night out and had filmed themselves taking the illegal substance.
When he relayed this to senior management he claimed he received no support and his next communication was to inform him, in February, that he had been sacked.
Mr Hammond’s solicitor Nigel Grundy read out email correspondence between senior management in which a health and safety boss urged a cautious approach after Mr Hammond called for a blanket drug and alcohol test at the site.
Those exchanges showed that a similar operation at another Vatenfall development found 80% of tested staff had drugs or alcohol in their system, “right up to director level”, Mr Grundy said.
Under cross-examination by Vattenfall’s solicitor Euan Smith, Mr Hammond denied that his line managers had expressed concern about his performance.
He also denied that his relationship had broken down with other colleagues.
However Mr Smith cited the witness statements of several of Mr Hammond’s co-workers who claimed staff on site felt intimidated by him.
Mr Smith put it to Mr Hammond that his relationship had got so bad that a health and safety officer had accused him of sexual harassment.
But Mr Hammond dismissed this as an attempt to “smear him” after he had highlighted the problems at the substation.
The tribunal continues.
