Peterborough Magistrates’ Court heard how an electrical company has been fined following a fatal accident involving a roller shutter door. On the 14th August 2016 Heidi Chalkley was crushed by the roller shutter door after pressing the button to open the door at Ruth Bagnall Court, Cambridge. As she held onto the grille, the door raised and she became trapped as it wound around the roller, subsequently crushing her body.
After an investigation led by the Health and Safety Executive, they found that the sensors were no longer functioning as they were wired incorrectly, causing the door to be unsafe.
The company had failed to identify the fault, despite having carried out work on the roller shutter door, this work had been done since 2012, as well as an inspection just one month before the accident. B.S Graves (Electrical) Limited did not check the operation of the safety sensors resulting in the fatal event.
A fine of £25,000 was given to B.S Graves (Electrical) Limited of Rushmere Close, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, after they had pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974, and further ordered to pay costs of £6,500.
”This tragic and distressing incident has had an untold impact on all those who knew Heidi. It could have been avoided if the company had ensured employees were suitably trained to inspect the doors and the functioning of the safety sensors.”, Commented Graeme Warden an inspector of HSE after the hearing.
