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Deaths in 2003 Click on the names below for further case details
FURTHER DETAILS OF DEATHS
Nigel, a window cleaner, fell from height. An inquest at London West Coroner's Court took place on 24 November 2003. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Brian Norman
Brian, a mechanic at London First Buses, was killed when he was dragged under a bus which moved whilst he was servicing it. He was working under the bus to change a light when a driver, unaware of his presence, started to drive the bus. A Wennington Fire Station spokesperson described the incident as 'one of the worst industrial accidents I've seen. We used airbags to lift the bus and release the man from under the front axle but it was too late.' Brian had been dragged ten yards before the driver could be alerted in desperation by colleagues. It appears that a system of putting a lock on the steering wheel when work was being undertaken was not followed in this case. An inquest took place on 28 January 2004 at London East Coroner's Court and a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.
Anthony, who
was employed as a Sky TV dish installer, fell from a roof in Dagenham and died 11 days later.
Iqbal, a warehouse worker who worked for an Engine Parts company, fell from height and died the next day. An inquest at London East Coroners Court took place on 30 March 2004. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.
Michael fell while fixing a roof in Merton. An inquest at South London Coroners Court took place on 2 October 2003 and a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.
Slawomir died when a section of a chimney flue fell on him and pinned him down. He was involved in refurbishment of a building in Northwood. The Health and Safety Executive was investigating the incident. Slawomir's body was returned to Poland.
Jack, a highways worker, died when he was clipped by a skip lorry and dragged underneath its wheels as he crossed the A13 in Essex. He was though to be on his way home when the incident happened. An inquest took place at East London Coroners Court on 3 February 2004 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.
Robert, a construction worker, died after a fall from a ladder at a construction site in Chelsea. James Bates Builders was the main contractor. The incident took place on 20 May and Robert died two days later. The inquest held without a jury at the London West Coroner's Court took place on 20 May 2004. The Coroner recorded an 'Accidental Death' verdict.
Ted, who worked as an accountant for a Thresher subsidiary, First Quench Retailing, fell down the stairs whilst attending a wine fair at the XL Centre, Becton An inquest took place in London East Coroners Court on 14 November 2003 and returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'.
David Olusegun, known as Sam, fell from a scaffold whilst working in Bethnal Green Road. Sam was finishing off some rendering on the inside of a parapet wall of a roof garden. The scaffolding was four lifts high. On the day Sam fell there was no ladder from the ground to the first lift. It was thought that to get to the roof garden he went up using the stairs inside the building then out onto an unprotected canopy, then over the balcony, and that this was the way he was going back to get more render when he fell. Health and Safety Inspector Nick Patience said Sam had not followed safety procedures. There was a safe system in place for access/egress just that 'for some reason' it was not used on this occasion. The inquest took place at London Inner North Coroner's Court on 15 June 2004 when a verdict of Misadventure was returned.
Philip (also known as Barry), an electrician, died of electrocution while working on a kitchen in Halifax Building Society in High Holborn. An inquest took place at the London Inner North Coroner's Court on 26 January 2004 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. CFR Group Plc was ordered to pay more than £100,000 in fines and £33,000 costs by the Central Criminal Court, London on 11 May 2007. CFR Group PLC had previously pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and for failing to comply with the requirement of Regulation 4 (1) of the Working Time Regulations 1998. The Court imposed a fine of £100,000 and £750 respectively for each breach bringing the total to £100,750. The prosecution followed an HSE investigation. After the sentence companies were warned by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that they must ensure the safety of all employees. Philip was electrocuted while wiring a water-unit as another employee in a power switch-room turned on the electricity. There were no systems for locking off the power, only tape, to indicate which circuit could be switched on or off. There was an indication too that the contractors on site were working excessive hours to get the job finished, which may have resulted in poor decision-making. Anne Gloor, HSE Inspector said, 'The judgment goes to show that companies should ensure that all staff are safe at work, and that there should be good arrangements for locking off all power supply systems.' The HSE investigation found that CFR Group PLC should have carried out a risk assessment for the work. The company should also have ensured that adequate signage was used to indicate which power circuit could be turned on, and other circuits should have been padlocked. CFR Group PLC should have had better procedures for a power lock-off, and a better system for controlling access to the switch room. Workers should also not have worked longer than 48 hours within a specified reference period. Further to the charges CFR Group PLC should been quicker to provide the HSE with addresses of the workers within a reasonable period of time. In reality, this happened two months after the incident, and it took 10 months to notify the HSE that it was exercising its right not to be interviewed under caution.
Bernard, a motorway maintenance assistant, was run over by a lorry which reversed over him. The principal contractor was RMG. An inquest took place at London East Coroners Court on 30 January 2004 when an 'Accidental Death' verdict was returned. Mamade Chattun
Mamade who worked as a nurse at the psychiatric Springfield Hospital in south west London was beaten to death by a schizophrenic patient after being left alone with him. The trial of James Cann, accused of murdering Mamade, opened in August 2003 but was delayed while further psychiatric reports were carried out. In January 2005, at the Old Bailey, Cann was convicted of Mamade's manslaughter, after denying a charge of murder which was later dropped. Mamade's relatives wept during the court hearing as Judge Giles Forrester offered them his 'sincere condolences'. He told Cann, 'The jury have convicted you on the plainest evidence of unlawfully killing a nurse who was there to look after you in hospital.' He said it was necessary for Cann to be detained without a time limit 'for the undoubted protection of the public'. Cann was already at the time of the trail being treated at Broadmoor for schizophrenia. Cann had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act the day before the killing, and had seen by social worker and doctors at Springfield Hospital, the court had heard. When he was told the following day he was to be detained, he grabbed his social worker by the neck and said, 'I will rip your throat'. He later refused to take his medication and sang out continually, 'I want to go home,' prosecutor Richard Whittam told the court. Mamade had been told not to deal with the patient on his own, but was the sole nurse left with Cann. When a staff member went to check on him, he found Mamade in a pool of blood. He had severe injuries to his head, his body, breast bone, ribs and bowel, and a severed ear. Mamade was taken to nearby St George's Hospital where he died. A separate external inquiry is to be undertaken by the Healthcare Commission, commissioned by the Trust and the South West London Strategic Health Authority. Mental health campaigners said events such as the Cann case were rare and the overwhelming majority of mentally ill people posed no risk. They said the real threat to mental health nursing was underfunding, not the patients. Too many wards remain overcrowded and understaffed due to historical underinvestment and stigma, they said. Paul Corry of Rethink said, 'Too many psychiatric wards remain overcrowded, unhygienic, chaotic and run-down. The stigma of mental illness affects professionals who may fear for their career prospects, meaning that serious staff shortages also persist. The government has taken some steps to end the historical underinvestment in mental health services. Much more investment is needed to make them safe and supportive places for both patients and staff.'
James Grimes
James fell from a height at Queensgate Terrace in Knightsbridge. The principal contractor was Henderson General Services. An inquest took place at West London Coroner's Court on 30 November 2004 when an 'Accidental Death' verdict was returned. Sudhesh Patel
Sudhesh fell through a roof skylight whilst clearing rubbish from guttering at Dhamecha Cash and Carry in Rivery Rd, Barking. An inquest took place at London East Coroners Court on 29 June 2004. A narrative verdict was returned. Ian Dicker
Ian was working on the main roof of the West London Mail Centre, by Paddington station, when he fell about 30 feet through a fragile skylight and into a corridor below. He died of multiple injuries. An inquest took place at London Inner West Coroner's Court on 25 March 2004. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. On 15 June 2006 at Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court, the Royal Mail and Romec, one of its contractors, were fined a total of £250,000 in connection with Ian's death.
Robert Powley
Robert, an electrician, died while working on switch gear. An inquest took place at East London Coroner's Court on 6th December when a 'narrative verdict' was returned. Margaret Edwards
Margaret died after an incident at the school where she worked. She was supervising at a sports day when she tripped and scratched her leg on a wire bin. Margaret died five days later from necrotising fasciitis after the wound became infected by flesh-eating bacteria. An inquest took place at London East Coroners Court on 6th December 2003. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Ian Jones
Ian was run over as he stood in front of his 18-ton lorry in a service yard in Chingford. He had pulled in to deliver goods to the Curry's store in Hall Lane and had gone inside to tell staff he had arrived. But a white Ford Transit box van pulled into the service area, with up to three men inside, one of whom got into Ian's lorry and tried to drive it away. Ian stood in front of the lorry but was run over. He died from his injuries shortly afterwards. The lorry and the van then sped off across Hall Lane and down Burnham Road, forcing a dust cart off the road and mounting a pavement. They pulled up at a junction on Sinclair Road and transferred electrical goods from the lorry to the van as nearby residents looked on. The white van was later found on fire in Epping Forest. Police began a murder investigation. Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Gibson, described it as 'a particularly callous crime'. He added, 'The suspects must have known they had run him over and yet continued with their crime to exchange the goods from one vehicle to another just streets away. It is unbelievable and unforgivable. 'This was an innocent man going about his daily business. To be subjected to the theft of goods is one thing. But this has turned into a horrific and callous murder that has left me appalled.'
Peter Coldspring
Peter was electrocuted in a flat 443 Purley Way, Croydon. He worked for Peter A. Bell, a painting and decorating contractor. Robert Austin Dickinson, director of Installation and Refurbishment Solutions Ltd (IRS Ltd) and in charge of the site where the incident occurred, was charged with manslaughter following an investigation by the Crown Prosecution Service. Mr Dickinson pleaded not guilty to both the manslaughter and health and safety charges. The case was heard at the Old Bailey. The judge gave a verdict of not guilty on the manslaughter charge, Dickinson pleaded guilty to the health and safety at work charges and was fined £10,000. Also in 2005 Installation and Refurbishment Solutions Ltd were fined £30,000 for breaches of Health and Safety legislation in that failed to ensure a system of work and that the electricity supply to flat undergoing refurbishment was isolated. Peter A. Bell was fined £1,000 for the same failure. In May 2007 in the House of Commons debate on the Corporate Manslaughter Bill, MPs raised the case as an example of inadequate penalties for breaches of legislation leading to a death.
Kenneth Hampshire
Kenneth was electrocuted in a domestic flat in Harrow, Middlesex. The inquest at Hornsey Coroner's Court on 21 April 2004 returned an 'Accidental Death' verdict.. John Dunleavy
John, a foreman, known as Martin, was crushed by marble slabs while working at Deco Marble and Granite in Park Royal. The inquest at Hornsey Coroner's Court on 23 April 2004 returned a 'Narrative' verdict. The jury found that Martin died of a severe head injury during the unloading of stone slabs. He had been in font of the load while supervising the release of snagged chains. The slabs fell on him and he was fatally injured. Martin had no formal training and the risk of the operation had not been fully recognised. Following a prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Deco Marble and Granite Limited was fined £3000 at Southwark Crown Court after pleading guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act, the Management of Health and Safety at Work act and the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations. HSE Principal Inspector Mike Gibb said that the incident demonstrated the inherent dangers in moving and storing large heavy loads such as slabs of stone. 'Firms receiving deliveries should consider the use of contract lifts where a crane hire firm can plan and coordinate all aspects of the lifting operations. All firms using and storing stone slabs should assess the risks from their current storage and handling arrangements. Toast-rack style storage is preferred to prevent toppling of slabs. Inclined A-frames can also be used provide the slabs are secure.' In sentencing His Honour Judge Rivlin QC, noting that Deco Marble and Granite was in liquidation, said, 'No sum could possibly represent the loss the family have suffered but had the company been trading, and successfully so, then the potential fine would have been £80,000.' The Judge also expressed surprise that the family had not received any financial compensation. He asked the defendant's solicitors to write to the company's insurance company to speed up settlement of the claim.
David Dodd
David, a lift engineer, died when he fell four floors down a lift shaft. He had been called to the office block after workers complained about the buttons not working in the lift. An inquest that took place at London Inner West Coroners Court on 11 February 2004, heard that it was possible that he could have looked over the side of the lift unaware that a counterweight was moving towards him. However it may have been the case that a loose wire on top of the lift could have caused him to trip and fall. The Westminster Council Environmental Health Officer, Ray Shivers, said a guard rail on top of the lift was not high enough and did not meet safety regulations. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.
Russell Anayeno
Russell, a security guard at Firhill Rd School, died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a heater generator in a hut on the school playing field. An inquest took place at London Inner South Coroner's Court on 6 April 2004. An 'Accidental Death' verdict was returned. Daniel Whittington
Daniel, an employee of Ecolab, doing pest control work, slipped on the stairs and broke a bone in his foot on 5 November 2003 which later developed into Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) causing his death on 2 December 2003. An inquest took place at London Inner South Coroner's Court on 19 January 2004. An 'Accidental Death' verdict was returned. Narvar Kallah
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