Electrical company fined after lady crushed to death

Peterborough Magistrates’ Court heard how on 14 August 2016 Heidi Chalkley pressed the button to open the roller-shutter door at Ruth Bagnall Court, Cambridge. She then held onto the grille as it raised and became trapped as it wound around the roller, fatally crushing her body.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the sensors at the top of the door were incorrectly wired and no longer functioned as the door opened.

B.S. Graves (Electrical) Limited had carried out work on the roller shutter door since 2012, including an inspection only a month before the incident. The company did not check the operation of the safety sensors and failed to identify the fault.

B.S. Graves (Electrical) Limited of Rushmere Close, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £25,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,500.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Graeme Warden commented: “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.”