Bereaved dad slams safety exec

A bereaved father this week accused the Health and Safety Executive of letting his family down by failing to take sufficiently swift or robust action against the company he holds responsible for the death of his son in a site accident.

Peterborough Crown Court was due to hear an HSE prosecution against contractors Stamford-Pickard yesterday (Wednesday 4 September). It follows the death at work of Christopher John Sellers on 4 February, 1994.

The victim's father Malcolm Sellers commented before the case opened: "Directors of the company responsible for Christopher's death go free of all action. In selling the company to a Mr Hall, eleven days after receiving the summons, they transferred all liabilities with that sale.

"By not taking action against individual company directors and by not prosecuting for unlawful killing or corporate manslaughter, the message is - carry on killing."

Malcolm Sellers said the HSE had taken nine months to carry out the initial investigation prior to a coroner's inquest. The Crown Court hearing had come 31 months after his son's death.

"The only way to cut the carnage is for the HSE to get tough and take positive action to improve safety," he said. "We strongly feel that HSE has failed us."