Security guard dies after becoming stranded at Afton wind farm in East Ayrshire
EIR-1025Other entries that name Afton
Other entries that name Ayrshire
Provisional entry. Published from first reports. This entry is rechecked automatically and updated when more sources appear. Next update: 18 September 2026.
During heavy snow that affected much of Scotland, two men, aged 74 and 42, became stranded at the Afton wind farm in East Ayrshire, described by the source as southeast Scotland, without heat or power. Police Scotland's Mountain Rescue Team was called to assist at about 8.50pm on the evening of 21 January 2018. The 74-year-old man, reported by a law firm blog post to have been a security guard at the wind farm, was airlifted to a hospital in Edinburgh about 93km away, where he later died. The site operator, Afton Wind Farm, which is owned by InfraRed Capital Partners, could not confirm the identity of the man but said he worked for a subcontractor at the site, and confirmed there had been a fatality in connection with the project. The wind farm was still under construction at the time and was reported to be using 25 Siemens Gamesa 2MW turbines. Police Scotland and the Health and Safety Executive began a joint investigation, and the developer started its own independent investigation. A report was to be sent to the Procurator Fiscal, the Scottish body responsible for investigating sudden or suspicious deaths. The cause of death and the full sequence of events were not reported.
Heavy snow was causing problems across Scotland that day, with a Met Office weather warning in force, and the two men became stranded at the site without heat or power. No formal cause had been established at the time of reporting.
- Sites in remote or exposed locations should have weather monitoring and early warning arrangements so that personnel are not left stranded during severe conditions.
- Shelter, heating and communication provisions should be assessed for lone and out-of-hours workers, including subcontracted security staff, particularly during construction.
- Emergency and rescue plans should cover extreme weather access problems and set out how isolated personnel will be reached quickly.
Published 2026-09-17. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.