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Deaths
in 2002
Click on the names below for further case details
FURTHER DETAILS OF DEATHS
Graham Fillingham
Graham, a bus driver, was run over by a reversing fork lift truck which drove away at the First Manchester bus depot. The driver of the truck who worked for Greenbeech Construction was only aware of the accident later when he was told he had run over someone. The inquest was held at West Manchester Coroner’s Court on 6 August 2002. The verdict returned was 'Accidental Death'. Mr Gartside, a colleague of Graham told the inquest jury that the fork-lift truck had been parked on a ramp linking two parts of the business park. Mr Gartside said that he and Mr Fillingham stood next to the stationary truck and chatted. He said he heard the truck rev up and he stepped back while he kept talking to Graham. Mr Gartside added, 'It all happened very quickly. It just seemed to come back. 'It knocked Graham to the ground and continued to reverse down the ramp and then Graham appeared from under the front of the truck.' Mr Gartside added that he thought Graham had fallen between the wheels and the axle of the truck and appeared to be 'bounced' down the ramp. He added, 'I was shocked and I saw Graham at the bottom of the ramp.' Fellow drivers John Davies and his wife Barbara were also close to the truck when it ran over Graham. Mr and Mrs Davies and a third driver, Wayne Ogilvie, said that they did not hear any reversing horn coming from the truck as it came down the ramp. A police examination of the vehicle shortly after the tragedy found that the reversing horn was working. PC Keith Stott said that when he arrived at the scene Graham was already being put in an ambulance. Mr Stephen Grundy, the owner of the construction company using the truck, said it was being driven by his son Lee. PC Stott said that by the time he arrived the truck had been parked at the far end of the business park. He said that Lee Grundy told him he had reversed the truck down the ramp before someone told him that he had knocked someone down. The policeman added that Lee Grundy appeared "visibly upset'' immediately after the incident. Lee Grundy told police when interviewed that he had been working for his father's company Greenbeech Construction.
Richard Wood
Richard, a digger driver, died from electrocution when the excavator he was driving cut a buried electrical cable in Exchange Square, Manchester city centre. The inquest was held at Manchester Coroner’s Court on 26 November 2002. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Abdurazak Shaban Ammush
Abdurazak, a self employed electrician, died from electrocution while renovating a flat in Holgate. The inquest was held at Manchester West Coroner’s Court on 22 July 2003 and returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'. Following investigations by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) it was discovered that Abdurazak's electrical cable tidy was full of deadly defects - including a screw which went directly through the cable, and which was ultimately responsible for the death. John Kilday
John, a plasterer working for an unnamed subcontractor, died from severe head injuries sustained when he fell ten metres after breaking through a temporary floor. It is understood that a temporary floor 1.7 metres below John had been erected and a hole made in it for throwing rubbish through which was covered by plasterboard. John jumped off the level he was on to the temporary floor and smashed through the plasterboard plummeting to the floor below. The inquest was held at Manchester Coroner’s Court in March 2006 and returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'. Craig Whelan and Paul Wakefield
Craig and Paul,steeplejacks, were working to demolish a 60 metre chimney at Carnaud Metalbox Food UK factory at Westhoughton when an explosion occurred engulfing the site in flames. Craig and Paul were knocked off their cradle and plunged to their deaths. In June 2004 Ian Billington, Technical Site Manager, John Kither, Manufacturing Engineering Manager and Colin Stevens, Project Manager, who were charged following Craig's and Paul's deaths were acquitted of manslaughter at Preston Crown Court. They were fined a total of £17,000 after pleading guilty to health and safety offences. The two steeplejacks were engulfed in an intense fireball while they were carrying out demolition work inside the chimney. The two men, working for Nottingham steeplejack firm Churchill's, were using hot cutting equipment to bring down the chimney. The equipment ignited the flammable tar coating the inside of the chimney and melting the steel ropes that held the cradle which contained them. The manslaughter charges were dropped after new evidence emerged at the trial. The court had heard company bosses had been warned of the fire risk. One witness said he was 'flabbergasted' by the poor quality of the risk assessment prepared by the company for the demolition job. The inquest was to be held at Manchester West Coroner’s Court but in May 2007 Craig's mother, Linda Whelan, marking the fifth anniversary of the tragedy, revealed the family had been told that an inquest into his death would not be held. She said, 'The coroner said it was not in the public interest but we still do not know the full facts.' Linda laid a bouquet of flowers on Craig's grave to mark the anniversary of his death and told how it had 'ripped apart' her family. She is also calling for tougher corporate manslaughter laws. She said, 'As a family we are still fighting for answers as to how and why my son was killed in such a terrible way. 'Linda is a founder member of a pressure group backing a Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill going through Parliament but wants it amended to include custodial sentences for company directors.Mrs Whelan was one of hundreds of friends and relatives of people killed at work to pay tribute to them at an annual ceremony in Manchester to mark International Workers' Memorial Day. Speakers, including Manchester Central MP Tony Lloyd and trade union leaders, said there needed to be tougher penalties against companies found to be negligent when people died in the workplace. Mrs Whelan said, 'We welcome a law that makes it easier to prosecute companies for corporate manslaughter but we feel that the penalty of an unlimited fine does not reflect the seriousness of the crime.'
Michael O'Malley
Michael was crushed to death by a fork lift truck. The inquest
was held at Manchester North Coroner’s Court on 25 February 2003 at Bury Magistrates Court when a narrative verdict was returned: 'Mr O'Malley died as a result of an accident.' Ian Brocklehurst
Ian, an employee at a road freight company, was killed when a crate he was unloading fell on him. The inquest was held at Manchester South Coroner’s Court on 20 August 2003 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Kevin Turner
Kevin, a contractor from Wolverhampton, fell 15 feet while laying a floor at Kayley Industrial Estate, Ashton under Lyne. He died six days later. The inquest was held at South Manchester Coroner’s Court on 19 August 2003 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Phillip Ashcroft
Phillip, a worker at a firm manufacturing plastic catering products, died in hospital after being crushed in a vacuum-forming machine when it began to operate, trapping him inside. His colleagues tried to free him, finally using a fork lift truck to prise apart the two metal plates within which his body was trapped. The inquest was held at Manchester West Coroner’s Court in Bolton from 8 to 10 March 2006 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. In September 2006 Barkston Plastics Forming Ltd. of Wingate Industrial Estate, Bolton were charged under the Health and Safety at Work Act and fined the maximum £20,00 after pleading guilty at Trafford Magistrates' Court to failing to ensure Phillip's safety. They were also ordered to pay £5,100 costs.The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) alleged that while the company did have a written safe system of work for this operation, this system was routinely not followed, and that the machine was entered without being correctly isolated from a power source. It was also alleged that the system of work itself was not suitable for the task and did not follow published HSE guidelines. The company had also not provided suitable training for managers and employees, and an effective supervisory and monitoring system was not implemented. Health and Safety Executive Inspector Iain Evans said, 'The Company had identified this operation as a potentially hazardous procedure and a safe system of work was drawn up prior to the accident. This safe system of work was attached to the front of the machine. This procedure requires the operator to ensure that the clamping frame will not descend with the safety guard open, and then to press the emergency stop. It then requires supports to be placed underneath the clamping frame. 'Had this procedure been implemented, then it would have gone some way to reduce the risk of injury. However it was still not sufficient to comply with HSE guidelines in that there would still have been power to the rest of the machine and potentially stored compressed air. It would have been reasonably practicable for this procedure to include full electrical and pneumatic isolation.' The Inspector added, 'The lack of risk perception through the organisation is a symptom of the lack of training delivered to both employees and managers who were working in this area. Whilst they all received a basic induction to the business, and some of them specific courses in the technicalities of vacuum moulding, there was no specific safety training, either external or in-house, delivered to employees working on these machines.'
Patrick Burns
Patrick died from a crush injury when 14 tonnes of metal fell on him. The inquest was held at Manchester South Coroner’s Court on 26 November 2003 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Steven Oake
Steven, a Special Branch detective, was stabbed to death by terrorist Kamel Bourgass in a flat in Manchester during a police raid in 2003. The inquest was to be held at Manchester Coroner’s Court but was adjourned indefinitely pending the criminal case. Paul Kelly, chairman of Greater Manchester Police Federation, said, 'Stephen knew he was putting his life on the line. He deserves recognition...when Stephen entered that flat Bourgass had already attacked and almost murdered another officer. 'When he tackled that evil man he knew he was going to be at the very least seriously injured. He knew he was putting his life on the line. It was exceptionally brave and he deserves recognition.' Bourgass was jailed for life in 2004 for murdering Steven and was jailed for 17 years this week for plotting to spread Ricin and other poisons. He had grabbed a kitchen knife in a desperate bid to escape and lashed out at the officers, injuring four and killing Steven. Bourgass' conviction has raised calls for police to be able to handcuff suspects even if they do not show signs of being a threat. Bourgass was not restrained before he tried to escape and stabbed Steven with a kitchen knife because officers, who had not expected to find him at the flat, had no reason to suspect him of being violent. Assistant Chief Constable David Whatton, of Greater Manchester Police, said the rules should change. 'It would be far better for everyone if the ambiguity was taken away and we were given laws allowing us to handcuff everyone,' he said. An inquiry into Steven's murder , who was not wearing protective clothing, criticised officers who led the raid for failing to plan the operation adequately.
Richard Hardgrave
Richard, an apprentice electrician working to refurbish a council-owned flat in Bolton, was killed instantly when he touched live 246-volt wires from a mains supply. Richard failed to correctly test the power supply to a fuse box at the empty ground-floor flat in Oak Avenue, Horwich. He was three years into a four-year course and had been working for Bolton at Home, the organisation that manages Bolton council's housing stock, for 12 months. The inquest was held at Manchester West Coroner’s Court on 7 October 2004. The hearing was told Richard was working to fit plug sockets and lighting at the flat with qualified electricians Rory Harvey and David Jefferson. Richard was electrocuted as he fitted an isolator to the fuse box in the hall enabling the outside power supply to be cut off. It should have been tested first, the inquest was told. Mr Jefferson told the inquest that he heard a loud noise, then found Richard unconscious clutching wires in each hand. It is understood he had been straightening them. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is investigating the incident. A spokesman today confirmed it would consider all the evidence raised in the inquest to determine whether to take any further action. Police said no criminal or corporate offences had been revealed. HSE inspector Steve Frost said the type of double fuse box, which was 40 years old, was unusual and could be confusing. He added, 'No one was aware of the state of the circuit. Electricity was still going into the unit.' Mr Harvey also told the inquest that job sheets given to the team to outline their proposed work were 'vague'. The inquest was told that Bolton at Home has made a series of changes since Richard's death. Electricians no longer work on mains supplies outside and all isolators are now fitted by suppliers. Manchester West Coroner Jennifer Leeming recorded a verdict of 'Accidental Death'. Richard's mother, Christine Hardgrave, revealed the family is considering taking further legal action and said, 'If the changes had been in place now then Richard would not have died. There are a lot of questions that still need to be answered as there has obviously been a breakdown in communication.'
Daryl Arnold
Daryl and several others had been employed
by Mr Lee Harper of Cannock, Staffordshire, to remove
and replace the roof of a warehouse on the Lynton
industrial estate in Salford. No safe system of work
had been prepared before the work began and no safety
precautions were in place at the time of the incident.
Daryl had never worked on a roof before. Prosecuting on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service, Simon Jackson QC told the court that Harper failed to take any safety precautions to protect people working on the warehouse roof. In particular, he said that Harper should have ensured that people could not stand directly on top of the fragile roof light. The court was told that Harper could either have placed a platform capable of supporting the weight of a person over the fragile roof light or installed suitable edge protection around it. Meanwhile, the court heard that Harper should have installed safety netting underneath the roof of the warehouse to catch anyone who fell. Alternatively, individual workers could have been issued with safety harnesses to break their fall. Jackson added that Harper should have ensured that the roof work was properly supervised. He should also have provided Arnold - who had never worked on a roof before - with suitable training and instruction. Speaking in mitigation for Lee Harper, who pleaded guilty, Timothy Horlock QC said that his client accepted that he had not given any thought to health and safety measures. However, Horlock added, Harper had acted through ignorance of safety laws, rather than cutting corners through a desire to save money. Any inquest
would be held at Manchester West Coroner’s Court.
Robert Harwood
Robert was killed after a loose pane of glass fell on him, knocking him from a building site balcony in Salford. The inquest was held at Manchester West Coroner’s Court on 16 December 2003 when a verdict of death by 'Misadventure ' was returned. The inquest jury was told that Robert had been working as a joiner on an apartment complex in Booth Street, Salford. He had asked his apprentice, Paul Cairns, to move a cupboard frame out on to a balcony to pass to him over a scaffolding barrier where, it is thought, Robert had planned to take it into a neighbouring apartment. The route Robert would have been expected to take inside the building had been occupied by plasterers, and it is believed he may not have wanted to delay his work by asking them to move. The inquest was told that the doors leading to the balcony had been fitted with signs restricting access to the area, which Mr Cairns said he "had not been aware of". Paul Cairns followed Robert on to the balcony and saw he had climbed over a scaffolding divide onto an unguarded balcony. As Paul approached, a pane of glass fell from a window next to Robert, knocking him sideways over the edge of the scaffolding. Paul Cairns told the jury he did not know what Mr Harwood had planned to do with the cupboard. Plumber Bernard Ellison said he had noticed previously that the window, which was believed to have been held in place with four temporary fixings, had come away from its fitting and had been leaning outward for 'a number of days'. Peter Hanson, technical services manager for site operators Carillian Building Limited, said that, in his capacity as a safety officer on the site, he had not been alerted to the loose window. Health and Safety inspector Jackie Darby conducted an investigation in which she was shown records and methods of induction into site safety training undertaken by Mr Harwood and Mr Cairns. Mrs Darby said provisions on the site to stop people falling had been adequate and in line with minimum standards set by the Health and Safety Executive, but she said she was unable to find any of the fixings which had supposedly held the glass in place. In recording a verdict of death by misadventure, Deputy Assistant Coroner Alan Walsh said the incident had been an 'unintentional and unexpected tragedy'.
Richard Buckley
Richard, an HGV driver, suffocated after being pushed by machinery into several feet of waste at White Reclamation Ltd, Eccles. He was discovered collapsed in the transfer station by his work colleagues and died later that day in hospital after efforts to resuscitate him failed. Pathologist Dr Mohammed Bashir said that Richard had died from asphyxia. The inquest was held at Manchester West Coroner’s Court on 28 February 2005. On the afternoon of his death, Richard went to collect waste from C3 Imaging Manchester Ltd. The company later contacted White Reclamation's transport manager Peter Brown to say one of their employees thought their mobile phone had fallen into the rubbish that had been collected, and whether it was possible the waste could be checked. Giving evidence, Mr Brown said the waste could be safely looked through at the end of the day once all the machinery had stopped operating. After tipping his load, Richard spoke to crane operator Gary Cocker about the missing phone. Coroner Jennifer Leeming, who recorded a verdict of 'Accidental Death', said, 'No one could say exactly what had happened but it seems likely that one or the other of two shovels had pushed waste into the transfer station and Mr Buckley, obstructed by the waste, had been caught up in that manoeuvre.'
Carl Hibbert
Carl, a window cleaner, died after falling 40 ft from a ladder while cleaning the windows of a third-storey flat. Carl landed face down and suffered a fractured skull, brain damage and internal bleeding. He died of his injuries at Salford's Hope Hospital two days later. The inquest was held at Manchester West Coroner’s Court on 25 May 2004 but adjourned while Coroner Jennifer Leeming obtained detailed reports from the ambulance service. A pathologist had revealed that there was a chance Carl could have survived had he been treated earlier. The inquest had been told it was 40 minutes before an ambulance arrived at the scene, despite the Deborah Court flats where Mr Hibbert had been working being within 100 yards of an ambulance station. The inquest heard from witnesses that when the ambulance did arrive, it was not equipped with a neck brace and a second vehicle had to be called. It was an hour before Carl was transferred from the scene to North Manchester General Hospital. There he was referred to the neuro department at Salford's Hope Hospital, where he underwent surgery to remove a blood clot, but later died of his injuries. A spokesman for Greater Manchester Ambulance Service said, 'We are confused and perplexed at GMAS at what we are hearing. As far as we are concerned, an ambulance paramedic was on the scene within two minutes of it happening and our ambulances were there within half the time that is stated.' The inquest resumed on 6 July 2005 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.
Edward Healy
Edward, the owner of E. Healy & Sons Motor Coaches, Oldham fell from a ladder at the firm's premises and was killed. The inquest was held at Manchester North Coroner’s Court on 30 June 2003. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Michael Payne
Michael died when he was struck on the head by an arm of the telehandler he had been driving at the Davyhulme Wastewater Treatment Works. The inquest was held at Manchester South Coroner’s Court on 15 December 2006 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Alan Reynolds
Alan, a labourer, was working for a sub-contractor of Bethell Construction on a sewer-cleaning job on behalf of United Utilities. He fell to his death over an unprotected edge in the Snipe Clough underground sewerage overflow. Alan together with his colleague Thomas Cullen were hired by Future Environmental Services to work in the overflow for two days, clearing debris from the main sewer 12 metres underground. The inquest was held at Manchester North Coroner’s Court on 17 May 2005 when a narrative verdict was returned: 'Accidental death contributed to by by neglect.' In October 2006 Future Environmental Services Ltd pleaded guilty to, and Bethell Construction Ltd were found guilty of two criminal charges: firstly, a breach of Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in that they failed to adequately protect the health and safety of someone not in their employment, for which each was fined £100,000, and secondly, a breach of Regulation 3 (1) (b) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 in that they failed to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of persons not in their employment, for which each was fined £50,000. Future Environmental Services were ordered to pay full costs of £14,079 and Bethell Construction were ordered to pay full costs of £49,110. Alan fell five metres to his death over an unprotected edge in the Snipe Clough consented sewerage overflow (CSO) at Oldham on 17 October 2003. A CSO is a large underground structure, part of the sewerage system in Oldham. Bethell Construction Ltd had been hired by United Utilities to carry out maintenance work in the CSO. They, in turn, had hired Future Environmental Services to carry out the work. Bethells were in control of the site. Alan worked for Daniels Contractors, but was hired out to Grisedale 2000 Ltd, a Liverpool company. Grisedale hired Alan, together with his colleague Thomas Cullen, to Future Environmental Services Ltd (FES) to work in the Snipe Clough CSO for two days, clearing debris from the main sewer that lies 12 metres underground, and is reached via a landing. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspector Christina Goddard, who led the case for HSE, says, 'Alan and Thomas arrived on site, put on their harnesses and went down the first vertical ladder onto the landing. They should have unhitched from their fall arrest line, turned to face away from the ladder, walked about two metres to their left and then gone down a further ladder to the main sewer. The first landing was about seven metres underground. 'Unknown to t | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||