Young worker was unlawfully killed
Young worker was unlawfully killed
A young factory worker was crushed to death after vital safety equipment was switched off on a stone cutting machine, a Hampshire inquest has heard. The Southampton Coroners Court inquest followed a court case in August, when company boss Michael Shaw was found guilty of the manslaughter of David Bail, 22, but escaped with a two-year suspended sentence (Risks 269). Mr Bail suffered massive head injuries when he was crushed by a stone-cutting machine at the Change of Style factory in Totton on 13 May 2003. Detective Sergeant Steve Edbury, of Hampshire Police, who led the investigation, told the inquest the automated machine, which cut stone for fireplaces and kitchen worktops, had light sensors around it that immediately stop the machine when someone breaks the continuous beam. It also had hinged guards that, if lowered when the machine was working, would break a circuit and stop it. But DS Edbury said these safety devices had been bypassed because if the machine was stopped the programme had to be started again, costing time and money. A jury accepted directions from coroner Keith Wiseman to rule that Mr Bail was unlawfully killed. A TUC-backed report published last month in Hazards magazine revealed nearly 4,500 workers aged 16 to 24 were seriously injured or killed at work last year, over 20 per cent more than five years ago (Risks 269).
- Redhill and Reigate Life.
- TUC and European Agency 23-28 October European Week 2006 webpages.
- Hazards young workers news and resources.
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