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Click on the names below for further case details
Click on the names below for further case details
Click on the names below for further case details
Click on the names below for further case details
Click on the names below for further case details
FURTHER DETAILS OF DEATHS Sandra Bell
Sandra Bell, a personal assistant to the headteacher at Gartree School, Tattershall, fell breaking her ankle on 1 December 2003. She developed an embolism and died four weeks later. The inquest was held at Boston and Spalding Coroner’s Court and returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'. Graham Dann
Graham Dann fell in a corn dryer while trying to empty it, at Bowsers Farm, West Fen, Stickney. The inquest was held at Boston and Spalding Coroner’s Court and returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'.
Jason Squire
Jason, a track maintenance worker, was fatally injured when when he was crushed between a speeding digger and a track machine at Ancaster Station. British Transport Police and the HSE launched an investigation amidst calls from the RMT union for a public enquiry into the safety regime of the fragmented privatised rail industry. The inquest was held at Lincolnshire West Coroner’s Court from 10 to 21 October 2005 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. The jury at the Coroner's Court heard that Jason had been replacing sleepers on the line as part of a £5 million upgrade programme of the link between Grantham and Skegness. He and his crew had been working through the night to minimise disruption on the line and the job was lit by large arc lamps when the accident happened, at 7.45pm. Jason was working for engineering company Mowlem, which had been subcontracted by Network Rail to carry out the maintenance of the track. Coroner Roger Atkinson told the jury that Jason appeared to have been behind a large yellow machine called an LFT, which is used to pack in the new sleepers. He was either standing behind it or getting something from the back of it. 'A digger behind on the track appears to have run into the back of the LFT machine, catching Mr Squire between the two,' said Mr Atkinson. Pathologist Professor Guy Rutty, who performed the post-mortem examination, said, 'There were serious crush injuries to the chest and the abdomen, either of which could have proved fatal. The ninth rib was broken on the right side of the body and that had punctured the lung. In the abdominal cavity I found that the liver had sustained a substantial crush injury and there was almost a pint of blood. Both injuries were consistent with a severe localised compression to the right hand side of the body, which is consistent with the scenario presented of him being trapped between two vehicles. 'In my opinion his injuries were so severe that regardless of the treatment he received I would have expected him to die.' A sharp implement had penetrated Jason's right thigh, coming out the other side. Fragments of yellow paint had been found inside the injury. After the verdict Jason's family said they would take civil action against Mowlem. They believed the firm which in 2004 had a turnover of £2 billion should explain why safety rules were broken before the fatal smash. Jason and a colleague were offered a lift back to the station at the end of their shift on the LFT machine. The machine should only carry one person, but up to six people were riding it that night.
Richard Reineman
Richard was a contractor, working at the port in Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire. He fell 30 feet in a grain store, while carrying out maintenance work. The inquest was to be held at Boston and Spalding Coroner’s Court.
Timothy Stenlake
Timothy was killed while cutting wood with a circular saw at an industrial workshop behind his house in Pinchbeck. The inquest was held at Boston and Spalding Coroner’s Court and returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'.
Derek Walker
Derek was a window fitter. He died a day after a fall while working on a conservatory. The inquest was held at North Lincolnshire and Grimsby Coroner’s Court on 2 December 2004. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Lee Evans
Lee Evans was working at Bell and Webster Concrete, Alma Park Road, Grantham. He was moving a heavy object along an overhead gantry when it collapsed. He died after a concrete block fell on his head. The inquest was held at Grantham Coroner’s Court on 8 December 2005 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned .
Colin Blades
Colin was killed while on a night shift at DS Smith Packaging Ltd in Northfields in Louth. He had reached inside a press to free a blockage when he inadvertently started it up again. He was dragged into the machine and was crushed to death. The inquest was held at Louth Coroner’s Court in July 2005 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. DS Smith Packaging Ltd was fined £75,000 at Lincoln Crown Court in February 2006 after admitting breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act by failing to ensure Colin's safety. The company was also ordered to pay £13,300 in costs. David Travers, prosecuting, said the danger - caused by the fitting of a smaller conveyor belt - should have been clear and foreseeable to the firm. He added that Colin was considered a careful worker who did not take risks. Judge Jeremy Lea said he accepted the firm had not taken a risk to increase its profits, but there had been a failure to foresee that the lack of safety on the machine might result in 'catastrophic injury or death'. After the hearing Simon Jones, of the Health and Safety Executive, said a metal plate costing just £100 would have prevented the accident. After the hearing Colin's father criticised the firm, saying, 'Health and safety laws are in place to be followed for a reason. We hope this disaster never happens again. We don't want another family to go through what we have gone through and are still going through.'
Peter Hastings
Peter was lifting steel with a crane when it fell and crushed him while working at TG Pine Crane Hire. The inquest was held at Boston and Spalding Coroner’s Court. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Richard Cox
Richard, a sprayer and finisher, fell 15ft in a fatal fall as he did one last job at the end of his shift. He was moving light fittings in a metal 'basket' atop a forklift truck when he fell and the basket landed on top of him. Richard died the next day. The inquest was held at North Lincolnshire and Grimsby Coroner’s Court, at Cleethorpes Town Hall, on 12 January 2006. A verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. The inquest heard that neither Richard nor the driver of the forklift were authorised to drive it. It had however become common practice for people without formal training to operate them. Managing director of Auto-Trail, Robert Gee, said there were suitable 'cages' with harnesses available at the company's headquarters at Grimsby Europarc. Since the incident only people with forklift licences and supervisors were given keys to the trucks. Vic Bee and Roy Wilkinson
Vic and Roy Wilkinson, both electricity engineers from the Boston area who were carrying out routine maintenance work at an electricity sub-station near Helpringham Fen, died when their van was struck by a train. The accident involved a single-carriage Central Trains 153 diesel. The train driver and guard were taken to hospital suffering from shock. The incident was just a few miles from the scene of a similar collision a month earlier when a train full of schoolchildren hit level crossing barriers at Rowston. The train had left Peterborough at 1241GMT and collided with the van 45 minutes later on what is known as a user-worked crossing. Network Rail said there are 3,967 user-worked crossings, which are usually on private land in rural areas and do not have automatic gates. The inquest was held at Lincolnshire West Coroner’s Court sitting at Sleaford Magistrates' Court on 16 December 2006. The jury returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'. The Coroner Roger Atkinson criticised the safety procedures of Central Networks and Network Rail and put a number of safety recommendations to them. A clear view down the track was possible from about five metres back from the crossing but that required stopping on the slope and effectively performing a hill start before crossing. Wheel spin occurred and was possible on the crossing itself which is made up of railway sleepers and a ballast section between the two lines. Mr Atkinson said the the men may have taken a run at the one-in-seven slope and not stopped to look for a train as one had passed minute before they died. Or thy may have seen the train when they were on the track, panicked and accelerated, causing wheel spin and stalling. The court heard that Network Rail had tried to close the crossing in 2000 due to safety fears but this was not possible and recommendations for phones to be fitted were made. These were not installed until after the men's deaths. It also emerged that Central Networks failed to give any of their engineers specific railway safety advice and failed to cary out a risk assessment for reaching the sub-station. Mr Atkinson recommended that Network Rail cut back vegetation to improve visibility and filled the ballast section of the crossing with non-slip sleepers. He would ask Central Networks to instruct their employees to phone signalmen before crossing tracks at all times and if there were two people in a vehicle for the passenger to get out to check if any trains were coming and to guide the driver over the track.
Tom Halliday
Tom, a jockey from Eldwick, West Yorkshire, died from multiple injuries after falling from Rush 'n' Run in the final hurdle race of the day. He was an experienced rider and had won three hurdle races and one National Hunt Flat race in 51 rides. The inquest was held at Spilsby Coroner’s Court on 18 August 2005 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Coroner Stuart Fisher said, 'It's a great tragedy that such a young man should lose his life in this way. He was an up and coming rider and very highly thought of.' In a statement, the horse's trainer Sue Smith described the fall as the field approached the third from last hurdle. Rush 'n' Run was nudged by another horse and veered to the left, she said. 'The jockey was seen to pull the horse back on track, but there was an imbalance,' the trainer added. Tom held on to the rein as he fell, pulling Rush 'n' Run down. It rolled on top of him as he hit the ground. The Jockey Club's chief medical advisor Dr Michael Turner, said, 'Racing is an exciting sport with a high risk of injury. Although fatal injuries are relatively uncommon, the incidence per days of participation is strikingly high when compared with other sports.'
Nigel Sargent
Nigel died following a 4 metre fall from a trailer which had just been loaded at Calders and Grandidge Ltd (part of Saint Gobain Building Distribution Ltd) in Spalding. Calders and Grandidge manufacture and supply wooden telegraph poles. In 2005 they decided to supply metal poles as a new product line. On 5 August, the day before the first full load of such poles were to be dispatched, Nigel was concerned about the height of a load and climbed onto a vehicle to attempt to lower it. While doing so, he fell approximately 15 feet and suffered fatal head injuries. The inquest was held at Boston and Spalding Coroner’s Court on 31 July 2006 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. In June 2008 Saint Gobain Building Distribution Ltd were fined a total of £120,000 and ordered to pay £51,000 costs by Lincoln Crown Court after being found guilty of breaching health and safety law. Nigel had not been trained in handling the poles nor was there a risk assessment which would have considered the effect of a change in the product from wood to metal. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspector Jo Anderson said, 'Every year 2000 workers are seriously injured after falling from their vehicle and last year four workers actually lost their lives after falling from their truck or lorry. It is vital that those who work in the transport industry take this issue seriously. 'On 5 August, the workers had been left to their own devices to work out a method to load the poles. Mr Sargeant became concerned about the clearance beneath bridges of a load. He cut the bands around one of the pole packs and the load shifted causing him to fall. The height of the load exceeded the height of the pins fitted to the trailer to hold the load in place. 'This incident highlights the need for employers to recognise the risk of drivers falling when loading and unloading vehicles. They need to put measures in place to prevent this sort of incident from happening again. Had the correct measures been in place Mr Sargeant may not have died. 'Companies must have procedures in place to identify new or changed products and the impact that their introduction will have on existing systems and procedures. In this case, there was no procedure in place and therefore no risk assessment was undertaken for the loading of metal poles, despite it being recognised as a problem, as workers were finding it difficult to load the metal poles with the equipment provided which was suitable for timber poles.' The charges were brought under regulation 5(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 for failing to have arrangements in place to manage the introduction of new products and systems and regulation 3(1)(a) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 for failing to perform a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for the loading of steel poles onto trailers . Charges brought under section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for failing to provide a safe system of work for the loading of steel poles onto trailers were discharged by the judge at a previous hearing after the jury failed to reach a decision.
Oleksiy Prutskoy
Oleksiy, a Ukrainian chief officer on the ship MV Humber Way, was working at Immingham Docks. He was killed by a Tugmaster (a type of tractor vehicle) which skidded while pulling a container off the ship . The inquest was held at North Lincolnshire and Grimsby Coroner’s Court on 4 October 2006 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Subsequently litigation continued over insurance claims relating to Oleksiy's death and his employment relationship. Compensation was paid to Oleksiy's family by the North of England P&I Club (a marine insurance mutual), in which Oleksiy's vessel was entered.
Paul Bocking
Paul was crushed to death when more than a tonne of marble sheeting fell on top of him at a Long Sutton masonry firm. Paul was found by a colleague. He was unconscious and trapped between several sheets of marble. A post mortem showed he died of asphyxiation. The inquest was held at Boston and Spalding Coroner’s Court on 31 July 2006 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Dr Ian Ellison, of the Health and Safety Executive, said there were around 70 marble slabs on angled racking and Paul was trying to separate some to remove with a crane. It is believed he pulled the sheets, which weigh around 200kg each, towards his body so that he could put a wedge behind them and then a sling to move them with a crane. The inquest heard risk assessments had been carried out and training given to staff, although this did not relate specifically to the manual moving of marble slabs. Several workers who gave evidence all said that Paul was conscientious and would not do anything that was unsafe. In June 2007 Colin Parker Masonry admitted charges of failing to discharge its duty and contravening health and safety rules at Spalding Magistrates' Court. The firm was fined £15,000 for the duty charge and £3,000 for the second charge along with £8,722 costs. Prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Dr Ian Ellison said there were no defined systems on how to move the slabs so the workers devised their own. He said Paul had been seen holding slabs to his chest to move them into position to be lifted by a crane. The court heard that the company's risk assessments did not address the issue of manually handling the marble and missed the point. Dr Ellison said the accident happened as a result of poor health and safety management and poor risk assessments along with supervisors not knowing or enforcing the rules.
Deaths of Philip Wooley, Orlando Lourenco, Endre Csillag, Bela Csende, Attila Kozma and Ferenc Szobacsi
Portuguese driver Orlando Manuel Dos Santos Lourenco and four passengers (originally from Hungary), Endre Csillag, Bela Csende, Attila Kozma, and Ferenc Szobacsi died in the collision on the A52 near Grantham. Philip Wooley, a lorry driver, died when he was hit by the minibus as Orlando Lourenco carried out what was described at the subsequent inquest as an 'unbelievable overtaking manoeuvre'. The inquest was held at the Lincolnshire West Coroner's Court in Lincoln's Cathedral Centre on 20 December 2006. Recording his verdict the Coroner Mr Atkinson said, 'I find that Mr Lourenco died as a result of an accident. As far as the remainder of the deceased are concerned, I find that they were unlawfully killed. 'They died as a result of gross negligence sufficient to warrant a criminal penalty of considerable severity, such as imprisonment. Under the coroner's rules I am not able to name who is responsible for those unlawful killings.' The inquest heard earlier that Orlando Lourenco had attempted to overtake a truck on the country road before colliding head-on with the Hovis lorry, driven by Philip Wooley. Two workers - one Hungarian and one Portuguese - survived the crash. Orlando Lourenco held an expired Portuguese driving licence at the time of the crash. He was also working long days without the 11 hours break between driving jobs required by law. Recruitment agency Interstaff had also failed to carry out a proper risk assessment or a medical examination for him, the inquest was told. They were being driven from their homes at Cambridge Street, Grantham, to work in Clipstone, Nottinghamshire, at about 0500 GMT, when the minibus hit the lorry. Post-mortem examinations revealed that all six men died from multiple injuries. A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police said the matter would now be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service who would determine whether a full criminal investigation into the crash should be carried out.
Alan Noddle
Alan, a fitter, died instantly in a collision just minutes after starting work on in the coalyard of Hargreaves (UK) Services Ltd at Immingham Dock. He was struck and crushed by a large bucket on a Komatsu 500, a loading vehicle used to transport coal from one stockpile to another. A post mortem examination revealed Alan died from multiple injuries in the collision shortly after 6am. The inquest
was held at North Lincolnshire and Grimsby Coroner's Court in July 2008 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.
Shaun Porter
Shaun died after becoming trapped when the forklift he was driving toppled over while he was working for Trackline International Ltd, Tunnel Bank, a company involved in the manufacture of tracks for quarry and other heavy machinery. The inquest was to be held at Stamford Coroner’s Court. An investigation into Shaun's death was being conducted by Midlands Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which had issued four notices to the company in the previous 12 months. In July 2006, Trackline, which also has a site on Pinfold Road, was issued with a prohibition notice (meaning the truck driver was ordered to cease operations) by the HSE for using forklift trucks to transport large components unsecured, causing poor visibility and stability while on a public road. The first of the other three warnings came on May 23 2007, when an HSE inspector issued an 'improvement notice' for failure to carry out an adequate assessment of the risks to employees working 'at height'. On the same visit, a second notice was served after employees were exposed to welding fumes and vapours from paint spraying. After an inspector visited the site on July 7 2007, they found the company had complied with both notices. However, three days later, another two warnings were issued. A third 'improvement notice' of the year was issued because lifting operations were not adequately risk assessed. The company, which builds crawler track systems for construction, earth moving and quarry equipment, complied with the notice, yet received three separate improvement notices in the following months. These were for not carrying out risk assessments for employees working at height, with improvements ongoing; non-prevention of employees' exposure to hazardous substances, with improvements also ongoing; and the lifting operations on site not being planned properly, which has been complied with. A spokesperson for Midlands HSE said, 'We cannot go into specific details concerning the investigation since it has only just begun, however considering there was a death involved then an outcome will likely take months rather than weeks. Past notices, such as the one about the forklift breach, will no doubt be taken into account by the investigation team but at the moment it's hard to say whether the current circumstances bear any resemblance to the previous breach.'
Deaths of Irena Polack, Sandra Bredelyte and Zeonas Buza
Irena, Sandra and Zeonas died and another eight were hospitalised in a head-on crash at Croft, near Skegness in a collision involving a white Leyland van travelling south and a black Rover 600 going in the opposite direction. A third vehicle, a blue Renault Megane, was also involved, but the occupants were not seriously hurt. Irena, a Polish worker, living in Skegness, was a passenger in the van, and Lithuanians Zeonas and Sandra both from Wrangle, near Boston, were in the front of the Rover. The Reverend David de Verny, the migrant workers' chaplain for Lincolnshire, expressed his concerns about the general safety of foreign workers being transported on county roads each day. He said, 'There are hundreds of these mini vans across the county and over the border. There is a criss-crossing every morning and every evening. In a way I am surprised there has not been an accident like this since the last one' (See above: Deaths of Philip Wooley, Orlando Lourenco, Endre Csillag, Bela Csende, Attila Kozma and Ferenc Szobacsi.) Mr de Verny urged foreign workers worried about the conditions of their transport to get in touch with police or the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), an organisation set up to protect foreign workers after the Morecambe Bay cocklepickers incident. A 43-year-old man, believed to be the van driver, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, is yet to be questioned by police. The inquest was to be held at Louth Coroner's Court.
Ann Mawer and Sue Barker
An explosion at the taxi office where she worked as receptionist killed both Ann and her friend and co-worker Sue. The fire that resulted from the explosion was so intense that the women had to be identified through DNA. Sue 's husband, who was the owner of the taxi firm, was injured in the incident. The inquest was held at the North Lincolnshire and Grimsby Coroner's Court sitting at Cleethorpes Town Hall on 16 July 2008 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned on both women. The inquest had heard that excess petrol had been stored in a plastic container. It leaked in the office when Tony Barker laid it down near the doorway. Coroner Paul Kelly called for greater education on the storage of fuel and outlawing of illegal containers. At the inquest, Mr Barker admitted the fuel had been stored because he did not want to run out of petrol over the Christmas holiday, recalling how the container 'collapsed like an egg' and leaked petrol all over the office floor and over him. It was still unknown what ignited the spilled fuel. Shona McIsaac MP for Cleethorpes lent her support to the campaign led by Ann's sisters - Diana and Sylvia - to ensure that the rules regarding the sale and storage of petrol are toughened up and to educate people so that they are aware of the risks. Ms McIsaac raised the issue in a House of Commons debate in October 2008 that she initiated. In the debate she stated that either an office gas fire or an electrical appliance provided the ignition source that led to the explosion. In December 2008 it was announced that Tony Barker would appear before Grimsby Magistrates' Court on 29 January 2009 to answer health and safety charges. Immingham Services Station Ltd, from where the fuel container was obtained, and its director, Martin Cook, also face the same charges as Mr Barker.
Terrence Stamp
Terrence was found dead while working at Howarth Timber Importers in New Holland. Terrence's exact employment details were part of the investigation into his death. The inquest was held at the North Lincolnshire and Grimsby Coroner's Court and a verdict of death by natural causes was recorded. John Dale
John, a farm worker, died when his tractor overturned at Hallington near Louth. The inquest was to be held at the Louth Coroner's Court.
Andrew Fleming
Andrew died while working on lift maintenance. He became trapped between the cage of the lift and the lift shaft itself at AF Carpets in Bridge Street, Brigg. Andrew, the company owner, was involved with family in the operation of the carpet warehouse The inquest was to be held at the North Lincolnshire and Grimsby Coroner's Court.
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