Premier Foods safety inspector death fall ‘accidental’
In mid-December an inquest was held into the death of a safety inspector at Premier Foods’s Worksop OXO cube and gravy granule factory.
The two-day inquest ruled that Nigel Chester’s death was accidental. He was checking the Nottinghamshire-site’s smoke detectors when he fell head first into a gravy-making machine.
An inquest heard that Chester, who worked for ADT Fire and Security, had been given a master key to gain access to a lift room and store cupboards.
However, he fell into a void above the machine after going through a door “to nowhere” that he unlocked, an inquest was reportedly told.
A sign that read ‘Danger. Keep this door locked. Four metre fall to the floor if opened,’ had been recently installed near to the locked door, a technician reportedly said.
The door above the machine was installed about 10 years ago, as it was thought a gantry was needed to service the machine, Andrew McNamara, assistant coroner for Nottingham, reportedly said.
“A door was installed for access from the first floor, but it was then decided the gantry wasn’t necessary,” said McNamara.
“Shortly before the incident, Chester checked a sensor on the floor. He then unlocked the door and stepped into the void.”
The jury at Nottingham’s Council House ruled the death an accident after a two-day inquest on Tuesday (December 16).
