Inquest hears man suffered 80% burns
9:56am Friday 20th December 2002
A paper mill worker suffered 80 per cent burns after being showered in scalding steam and water, an inquest heard.
Stephen Southwell Grainger, 43, died in Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, two weeks after the accident which occurred while he was doing a job in place of someone off sick.
A jury inquest in Kendal on Monday heard how Mr Grainger, formerly of Dale View Crescent, Heysham, had been working in the boiler house at Cropper's Mill, Burneside, on March 2.
The job involved repairing a mechanical seal on a water pump and was described by the company as a "routine mechanical task."
It emerged that although the electricity to the pump had been isolated, for an unknown reason the pipe work and valves containing the steam and water had not been disconnected.
Paramedics giving evidence described how the maintenance engineer had received severe scalding but was fully conscious and walked into the ambulance with help from fellow workers.
His widow, Sarah Eliza Grainger, now living in Rampside, near Barrow, said she visited him in hospital the day after the accident and asked him what had happened.
"He said he asked the guy was it switched off, but it wasn't," said Mrs Grainger.
The "guy" in question was later identified during the inquest as Lee Jason Finch, of Natland Road, Kendal, who had been working with Mr Grainger.
South Lakeland Coroner Cyril Prickett asked the former Cropper's house operator: "You have heard what Mrs Grainger said. That her husband said he asked the guy Is it switched off?' and it was not. It was not switched off, was it?"
Mr Finch replied: "It was switched off electrically, sir."
Mr Prickett said: "So when Mr Grainger said to you Is it switched off?' you were talking about the electrics, not the isolation of any part of the valves."
"Yes sir," said Mr Finch.
Mr Finch said he was talking to a mechanic in another part of the site when he realised there had been an accident.
"I heard some screaming, sir," said Mr Finch. "I ran back to the boiler house and I found him. He was drenched in water and was wet from head to toe."
The employee who had been due to carry out the work but had been absent was Tim Richardson, of Station Road, Cark-in-Cartmel.
He told the hearing he considered that the job of isolating the electricity and pipework was the responsibility of the person doing the work.
Company maintenance manager Glyn David Gannon said Mr Grainger was capable of doing the job due to his previous experience and having received appropriate training.
However, following an investigation into the accident by the Health and Safety Executive, an improvement notice was served on the firm.
This had led to the implementation of a raft of safety procedures being introduced for such jobs.
Advising the jury, Mr Prickett said there was no evidence whatsoever of gross neglect or manslaughter.
"For some reason, which is not known and never will be known, the system had not been isolated that particular Saturday when this was being carried out," said Mr Prickett.
The jury of five men and three women returned a verdict of accidental death within ten minutes of retiring to consider the evidence.
At the end of the hearing, company director John Denham told the Gazette: "It has been a very tragic accident and there is not a day goes by when I don't think about it."
Solicitor Jenny Smith, acting on behalf of the Grainger family, said they did not want to comment on the outcome of the inquest.