Thomas Elmer, 27, and James Bibby, 25 were both injured at Sonae UKs chipboard factory in Knowsley, Merseyside, in December 2010 after reportedly getting caught up in machinery. The two men were later declared dead at the scene (see letsrecycle.com story).
An inquest jury at Bootle Town Hall in Liverpool yesterday (July 23) recorded a narrative verdict, finding that the deaths were caused by a failure to follow procedures.
A spokeswoman for Portuguese-owned Sonae said that the tragic accident would have been prevented if its permit to work system had been followed.
The spokeswoman said: Sonae had a permit to work system in place, which had it been followed would have prevented the tragic accident. It will be of little consolation butour thoughts remain with the families of Thomas Elmer and James Bibby.
A HSE investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said: We are carrying out a thorough investigation into the deaths of James Bibby and Thomas Elmer and will now carefully consider the inquests findings before deciding whether it is appropriate to bring criminal charges.
Sonae
The Sonae chipboard plant in Knowsley opened in 2000 and had the capacity to take in over 300,000 tonnes-a-year of recycled woodchip. However, the plant closed in September 2012 resulting in the loss of 220 jobs. The company maintains a sales base and office in Kirkby for the sale of material produced at the companys sites overseas.
Another worker, 62-year-old James Dennis Kay, suffered fatal injuries at Sonaes Knowsley premises in August 2011 (see letsrecycle.com story). He had been operating a crane which was damaged following a fire at the factory in June 2011 (see letsrecycle.com story).
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