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Deaths in 2001 Click on the names below for further case details
No details of deaths available 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 Deaths of Leonard Radford, Andrew Hutin and Steven Gallsworthy
Leonard, Andrew and Steven, steelworkers at the Corus plant in Port Talbot, were killed when a furnace exploded. The explosion at the Corus steelworks number 5 furnace which also injured 12 workers was the worst accident in the steel industry for 25 years. The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) report published in 2003 said the explosion was so powerful it lifted the top half of the furnace up, which allowed approximately 200 tonnes of slag and molten and a large volume of hot blast gases to be ejected. It was only in the summer of 2005 that the inquest was finally held when an 'Accidental Death' verdict was returned. Police confirmed that the Crown Prosecution Service would not be bringing involuntary manslaughter charges against any individuals. In December 2006 Corus UK Ltd was fined £1,333,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,744,474.74 following charges brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The company had pleaded guilty before Swansea Crown Court to two charges of failing to ensure the safety of their employees and others brought by HSE under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974*. In a statement at the conclusion of the case, HSE Director for Wales, Terry Rose said, 'Having met with the families of Mr Galsworthy, Mr Hutin and Mr Radford over the last five years I want to pay tribute to them. I have seen their grief and frustration, and we should all recognise that whatever has happened today cannot bring back their loved ones. Fines are insignificant alongside that. 'This was systematic corporate management failure at the Port Talbot works. Proper management attention may have broken the chain which led to the explosion. I hope Corus, and indeed the iron and steel industry worldwide, learn from Port Talbot and make sure that those lessons are put into practice in their management systems, and maintained. 'This must be a wake up call for the industry. The process is centuries old but the risks need to be managed to the highest modern standards.' The explosion was caused by water in the furnace coming into sudden contact with hot material. As water turned into steam it expanded rapidly, creating pressure, which blew a confined vessel apart. Terry Rose went on to say, 'As far as we can establish an explosion of this magnitude is unprecedented in any blast furnace anywhere in the world. The proper design, maintenance and operation of the water cooling system are vital to the safe operation of the furnace and the ability to detect, and stop, water leaking into the furnace in quantity is very important. Corus failed to do this in relation to Blast Furnace 5. Those failings were spread over many years, with many different people involved. That is why HSE prosecuted the company, rather than any individuals.' 'Since the event, HSE has continued to work with Corus to improve its safety management, and will continue to do so but none of this can bring back the men who died, or guarantee that it can never happen again.' (*Corus UK Ltd was charged with a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, in that the company did not ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the safety of its employees in connection with the operation of Blast Furnace Number 5 and was also charged with breaching Section 3(1) of the Act, in that the company did not conduct its undertaking, namely the operation of Blast Furnace Number 5, in such a way as to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, that persons not in its employment, namely contractors, were not exposed to risks to their safety.)
Back
to Table (2003) Back to Top Herve Bola
Herve, a teenager taking part in adventure sports on an activity course organised by Redbridge Council in in East London, was drowned in the Scwd y Gladys Falls near Glynneath in South Wales. The inquest was to be held at the Neath and Port Talbot Coroner's Court on 20 October 2003 but was subsequently postponed. The inquest was eventually held between the 11 and 20 April and returned a verdict of 'Unlawful Killing'. The inquest heard that the teenager was on the first day of a week's trip based at the outdoor education centre in Glasbury, near Brecon, along with more than a dozen other boys. Herve had jumped into the freezing water at the falls near the Brecon Beacons, but panicked and drowned within seconds. Speaking after the inquest, the family's solicitor said Herve's mother and grandmother now wanted the Crown Prosecution Service to reconsider its decision not to take any criminal action over Herve's death. One group member who was also a non-swimmer, Ahmet Tasan, had told the jury that youth worker Daniel Brown had said to Herve, 'Jump in and I will save you.' Six other members of the group gave similar evidence. Senior instructor Ian McLeod said he had not heard Mr Brown say those words. He told the jury he had warned Herve, and another non-swimmer, not to jump into the pool, because the teenager had told him earlier in the day he intended to do so. The jury was told how the rest of the group, led by Mr Brown, had gone into the water and had held a competition to see who could make the biggest splash, which Mr Brown had won. Mr Brown, who worked part-time for Redbridge Council, denied encouraging Herve to jump in the water, and said he had not actually spoken to the teenager while at the falls area. Mr Brown was the only person still in the water when Herve jumped. He had tried to help him but the teenager's struggles had forced him to let go. Herve's grandmother Francoise Bola, with whom he lived, told the hearing that she had warned him never to go into the water before he left for the trip. Coroner Dr David Osbourne told the jury before sending them out they had two possible verdicts, accidental death or unlawful killing. He said for an unlawful killing verdict they had to be certain beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Brown had indeed called Herve to jump in and that he had not foreseen the danger. He reminded the jury an expert witness had said it was "inconceivable" that anyone could have drowned in such a small place, surrounded by so many people, and that it was therefore unforeseeable. Dyfed-Powys Police said in light of the verdict, the force would 'further consult' with the CPS, but said any further comment would be inappropriate at this time. Gethin Lewis, head of the National Union of Teachers Wales, said the verdict was 'deeply disturbing'. 'This verdict can only deter teachers, youth workers and others from providing young people with these valuable educational and social opportunities.' He added the union would look at the possibility of a legal challenge. In June 2006 Redbridge Council was cleared of blame as the unlawful killing verdict was overturned in the High Court. Herve's family were 'shocked and devastated' at the decision taken by Mr Justice Bennett. The judge ruled that Neath and Port Talbot Coroner David Osbourne had made a mistake in law. He said, 'Shortly and simply, the facts taken at their highest come nowhere near founding such a verdict.' He said the jury had to be sure beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Brown had called on Herve to jump. It also had to be 'foreseeable' that the words would have led to the death, and Mr Brown's conduct was so bad that it amounted to gross negligence. However the judge ruled the evidence was insufficient to prove negligence to the point where it amounted to a criminal offence and added the original verdict could only be seen 'as a verdict that Daniel Brown unlawfully killed Herve Bola'. Redbridge Council has implemented a number of safety changes at the outdoor education centre. Now every youth worker is informed of each child's abilities, including their ability to swim.
Malcolm Chapman
Malcolm, the owner of a site he was preparing for development, had been working on the roof of a disused garage when he fell seven metres into a car inspection pit. The inquest was held at the Neath and Port Talbot Coroner's Court on 24 November 2005 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned.
Back
to Table (2006) Nigel Page
Nigel fell from a the roof at Happy Home Furnishing, Port Talbot while carrying out roof repairs. He was working for Page Roofing, maybe in a self-employed capacity. The inquest was held at the Neath and Port Talbot Coroner's Court on 24 November 2005 when a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was returned. Nigel had been a talented amateur boxer and became a boxing coach.
Bryan Robbins
Bryan, a train driver, was found crushed to death at Port Talbot steelworks. Bryan had worked at the Corus plant since he left school and was called by a colleague 'very safety conscious.' He was found near his radio-controlled locomotive. A safety alarm to alert colleagues had failed to go off. The inquest was held at the Neath and Port Talbot Coroner's Court on 10 august 2006 when the inquest jury returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'. The inquest heard that Bryan had been operating the locomotive via radio controls to move steel slabs. Train drivers received 'extensive training' the inquest was told. Initially, it was thought Mr Robbins had suffered a heart attack when he was found at 2015 BST on 7 May 2005. Efforts were made to revive but without success, the jury heard. But a post mortem examination found he had suffered multiple internal injuries. Steve Curry of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the most probable cause of Bryan's was death was that he was crushed between the train and the door of the loading bay as the locomotive was pulling out. Bryan's colleague Malcolm Price said he became suspicious something was wrong when he saw the train in a stationary position. 'I rushed over to see what was the problem,' he said. 'My first impressions were that he was dead.' Fellow driver Stephen Meyrick told the court that the radio control was equipped with safety features that should have alerted others when Bryan was injured. But he told the hearing that they had experienced "constant intermittent faults" with the radio-controlled system. He said, 'I would say that Bryan was very safety conscious. I'd regard him as a solid worker.' But he added all drivers received 'extensive training' and if the normal operating procedures were followed he did not think there was any risk to workers. Mr Meyrick said that since the accident, locomotives were now operated by two men rather than one. Speaking after the hearing his family's solicitor Nick Collins said, 'The lasting hope of Byran's family is that Corus take every opportunity to prevent such accidents occurring again and therefore other families having to suffer the sort of grief and loss that they have experienced.' A spokesman for Corus said the company would like to express its 'continued deepest sadness at the loss of our colleague'. He added, 'Following the tragic death we conducted a detailed internal inquiry. This has reinforced our approach to health and safety which is paramount to everything we do.'
Kevin Downey
Kevin, a process technologist, died after falling into molten waste at Port Talbot's Corus steelworks. He was treated at Swansea's Morriston Hospital where he died at the burns unit later that day. it appears Kevin fell into a piece of equipment known as a 'slag runner' while working in blast furnace number four. He suffered massive burns. Kevin who began working at the plant when he left school, was said to have been pivotal in the 2001 disaster, when three men died, in shutting the furnace down after the and making the area safe. The 2001 blast was the worst steel industry accident in 27 years Port Talbot MP Hywel Francis said he was 'deeply saddened' to hear the news. 'The whole of Port Talbot and steel communities everywhere will join with me in extending our deepest condolences to Kevin's family,' he said. 'I understand that representatives of the Health and Safety Executive were present at the scene immediately following the accident and an investigation is already under way. I will be visiting the plant tomorrow to discuss the matter with senior management and unions.' The inquest is to be held at the Neath and Port Talbot Coroner's Court on a date that has yet to be set.
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