The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says its investigation into the deaths of five workers at a metal recycling site in Nechells, Birmingham, has been delayed by the pandemic and it is doing “all it can” to conclude the case.
In July 2016 a wall collapsed at the site, run by Shredmet Limited and owned by West Midlands-based Hawkeswood Metal Recycling, crushing the five workers to death (see letsrecycle.com story). A sixth was taken to hospital with serious leg injuries.
In July 2016 a wall collapsed at the site in Nechells, Birmingham, crushing five workers to death
Last month, Shabana Mahmood, the Labour MP for Birmingham, Ladywood, posed a parliamentary question asking what was being done to “expedite” the conclusion of the investigation.
Mims Davies, the parliamentary undersecretary of state for employment, replied on 12 October, saying that it would “not be appropriate” for her to comment on the specifics of the ongoing investigation, reiterating that the HSE is an independent regulator.
The HSE has now issued an update, saying that the investigation has taken “longer than hoped”, but it is doing “all it can” to conclude it.
‘Thorough’
An HSE spokesperson told letsrecycle.com: “Since five workers lost their lives on 7 July 2016, we have been carrying out a thorough criminal investigation. Our purpose is to ensure everyone understands why this happened, how it can be prevented in future and if there is evidence of wrongdoing, we hold the right people accountable.
“Since the inquests concluded we have been focused on forensically examining evidence and following up new lines of inquiry. This means the investigation has taken longer than we had hoped. The disruption created by Covid has added further delay.
“Since the inquests concluded we have been focused on forensically examining evidence and following up new lines of inquiry”
“HSE is conscious of the time taken to complete the investigation has on the families of those who died. We are doing all we can to bring this to a conclusion as swiftly as possible, while making sure that we reach the right criminal standards of investigation and can take the right action to secure justice.”
West Midlands Police told letsrecycle.com they had not had any further involvement in the case since they handed it over to the HSE.
Parliamentary question
Ms Mahmood named the victims as Almamo Jammeh, Ousmane Diaby, Bangally Dukureh, Saibo Sillah and Muhamadou Jagana.
In November 2018, an inquest jury concluded that the five men – four of whom were from Gambia and one from Senegal – were accidentally crushed to death after the “foreseeable risk” of a wall collapse in the area they were working was not identified (see letsrecycle.com story).
In January, the HSE said it was “working to conclude” the investigation after the BBC ran an article on its website which included an interview with the wife and eldest son of one of the victims, as well as the family’s lawyers (see letsrecycle.com story).
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Source: letsrecycle.com Metal
