WORKPLACE - 01.02.2016

£2 million for a child’s death

Tragedy

On 24 April 2014 11-year-old Robbie Williamson and two friends were playing on a pipe which crossed the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The pipe ran along the outside of a bridge, making it an attractive challenge. But as they played Robbie slipped, striking his head and falling into the water. He died in hospital later that day.

Whose pipe?

The pipeline is owned by National Grid Gas Plc. (NG) which is the company behind the distribution of natural gas to half the homes and businesses in the UK. It was the firm’s policy to prevent access to dangerous structures so far as possible, but in this case there was a ramp running adjacent to the pipe, which made it quite easy for the children to reach it.

In court NG pleaded guilty to charges of breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 . It was fined £2 million with £36,102 costs.

What went wrong?

NG had a procedure for inspecting above ground pipe crossings. Where such crossings were a danger to the public it would usually install barriers, fencing and other deterrents to discourage trespassing. The initial mistake which led to the accident was that records held by NG incorrectly showed that the pipe was buried within the bridge rather than exposed on its outside. Whatever the cause of the administrative error, the consequences were fatal. It meant that the structure was not included on the inspection schedule and no access prevention equipment was fitted.

Compounding the error

For an enormous company with so many fixed assets, it’s understandable that a mistake could creep in to its database. However, this was not a matter of install and forget as the pipeline was subject to maintenance work. Records were not updated when the opportunity arose.

Tip 1. If you have a similar problem, install barriers, as NG did after the accident, to prevent easy access (see The next step ). In this case a steel “fan” was inserted at each end, but other options include spike-topped and roller bar topped fencing and anti-climb paint.

Tip 2. Anything you install must not create a danger to passers-by, so any aggressive features, e.g. spikes, must be well beyond normal reach. Some suppliers suggest they should be 2.5 metres high or more.

Tip 3. You must also ensure that you do not create a trap; any security measures which could harm, such as spikes, must be clearly visible. This may entail adding lighting and will always involve the display of warning signs.

Tip 4. Any measures you install will require periodic monitoring. There are no rules on the frequency so decide how often based on the risk of damage or deterioration, the danger to the public and ease with which you can inspect.

Tip 5. If you have a number of structures over a wide area, make all staff responsible for correcting any inaccuracies in essential records.

For a premises safety checklist, visit http://tipsandadvice-healthandsafety.co.uk/download (HS 14.10.02).