QUARRY FATALITY
LABOURER FALLS FROM LEDGE
CORONIAL INQUIRY HELD
An inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of William James Pearson, a labourer who was killed at the Public Works quarry at Mosgiel on October 14, was hold before the coroner (Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M. this morning.
Senior-sergeant Quartermain conducted the inquiry for the police. Mr P. J. Adams represented the department, and Mr P. G. Ward the widow and relatives of the deceased.
John Thomson Gilkison, engineer, employed by the Public Works Department, said that he was in charge of the quarry in which Pearson was killed. The quarry was leased by the Taieri County, and had been taken over by the department.
The Senior-sergeant: Am I to understand that the regulations of the Act are not applicable in this case?
Mr Ward: There is nothing in the Act to bind a Government quarry such as this.
Witness was acquainted with the regulations of the Act. While he was aware of the fact that the quarry was not hound by them, an effort was always made to carry them out. There was always an element of danger in quarry work, but every precaution was taken, and this could not be called a dangerous quarry. Prior to the accident witness inspected the quarry once a week. A number of ropes were provided for lowering the workers over the face, and these were secured bv iron pins some distance from the edge. After the accident witness examined the ropes, and found them to he securely fastened and in good condition.
To Mr Ward witness said that, to his knowledge, there was no copy of the regulations in the quarry. The men's attention had been drawn to details in the regulations in the quarry. The quarry was never inspected by a Government inspector, to the knowledge of witness. The foreman attended to the details of the work to be carried out, and both he and the overseer were experienced men. Witness had never told the men that they had to work the quarry in benches. The quarry was from 82ft. to 100ft high. Witness did not consider it necessary to issue instructions that the face should he worked in benches. While working, the men stood on benches. The one on which the deceased was working was from 2ft to 4ft wide.
At this stage the coroner suggested that Mr Gilkison should stand down and give his evidence later.
Andrew Storey, foreman in charge of the quarry, said that he had been employed constantly in quarries for thirty years. He had been in charge of this quarry since January. Witness was acquainted with the provisions and regulations of the Act, a copy of which was posted up in the old smithy at the quarry. The deceased was a capable man, his age being sixty-three. On October 14 he was working under witness. About 1 p.m. a number of shots were fired. The men were out of the quarry altogether. When the whistle sounded for the commencement of work witness saw the deceased going to the top of the face. Witness did not see him lowering himself, but next saw him sliding down the quarry. The quarry was not nearly perpendicular there. The height at that point was about 70ft or 80ft. After lowering himself deceased walked along the bench. He then slid straight down until he struck another bench, about 80ft below. He then fell about 40ft to a further bench. He was then unconscious, and the doctor was hastily summoned. The deceased was a capable and trusted workman, and appeared to be a man of good health. Witness inspected the safety rope prior to the accident, and there was nothing wrong with it. Witness could not understand why he should have fallen.
To Mr Ward, witness stated that there was really no bench where the deceased was standing at the time of the accident. The deceased fell about 70ft in all. There was no bench where the loose stone was until the men actually made it. There was no bench of any kind from the point where the deceased fell and the ground. Witness could not remember receiving specific instructions as to the regulations.
Mr Adams: Is my friend suggesting a breach of the regulations?
The Coroner: No. It has already been stated that the regulations of the Act do not apply to Government quarries.
Continuing his evidence, witness said that the men made the benches as they worked. When a man was working in the quarry his position depended on the footing he made for himself. Witness supervised the width of the bench on which the men stood. The widest bench was now about 8 or 10 feet. The rope was the only means whereby the deceased could get to his work, it was the usual practice to go down from the top hand over hand on the rope, if a man was not careful he might fall off the rope at any time. Witness did not know that ladders could be used. He was aware of the practice of looping a rope round the leg and body, but had never used it round the leg. At Mosgiel the ropes were never tied around men’s bodies until they had reached their destination. If a man had the rope looped around his body and leg he would he held firmly if he lost his grip. Witness agreed that it would be safer to employ the loop system. Witness instructed the men to secure a good grip on the rope but not to tie themselves to it until they had reached their working position. If a man lost his grip he was likely to fall to the bottom. Since the accident the benches had been straightened out, but this was in the ordinary course of the work. The Public Works Department had never warned the witness about the danger of using a bare rope. If the deceased had had the rope looped around his body he would not have fallen. As far as witness knew the deceased was standing on a (word missing) wide when he fell, the greatest danger in this quarry lay in small overhead stones.
To Mr Adams: Witness said that he went about the face of the quarry a good deal. He was personally satisfied to go on using this present system of ropes, and considered it reasonably safe.
To the Coroner: Witness stated that it would take the men a long time to test to their work if the loop system were adopted. Witness did not regard the face as steep for men to work. He left the men free to adopt their own measures, as long as they exercised care. He had never received a suggestion that the method employed was a dangerous one.
Hebert Andrew M‘Naughton Storey, a son of the previous witness, and employed as a labourer in the quarry, gave corroborative evidence. After the shots had been fired witness and deceased lowered themselves down over the face. Witness was walking along a ledge behind the deceased when his attention was drawn by a groan. When witness looked up the deceased had fallen off the ledge and was sliding down, trying to grip the rope as he fell. He was fairly active for his years, and witness could advance no reason as to the cause of his fall.
To Mr Ward, witness said that the ledge from which the deceased fell was about. 2ft wide. The face of the quarry was so steep that if a man lost a grip on the rope and his footing he would have no chance of saving himself. They always had a place to stand, never less than 2ft.
Duncan Bain, labourer, also gave evidence.
The luncheon adjournment was then taken. -Evening Star, 25/10/1929.
QUARRY FATALITY
VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH
“The evidence satisfies me that this quarry is being worked in the approved system, and that that system was reasonably safe,” stated the Coroner (Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M.) in returning a verdict that the death of William James Pearson at the Public Works quarry at Mosgiel on October 14 was due to dislocation of the neck, caused by an accidental fall.
The inquest was resumed yesterday afternoon. Mr F, B. Adams represented the department, and Mr J. P. Ward the widow and relatives of the deceased.
To Mr Ward, John Joseph Jones, overseer of the quarry, said that the men did not work by galleries, but by steps. It would be practically impossible to work on steps 12ft wide. He did not consider work on a ledge 2ft wide any more dangerous than ordinary quarry work. He had always had instructions to conform to the regulations governing quarries. If a man was making a footing to work, witness thought that 2ft was safe under the circumstances. He did not consider the men were working in extreme danger. The loop rope system could not be used satisfactorily in this quarry, as the face was not steep enough. Witness realised that it was dangerous for men to be on a 2ft ledge like this unless they were grasping a rope.
To Mr Adams, witness said that he had never had any complaints from the men that the quarry was dangerous. He did not consider that it was any more dangerous than any other quarry.
The Coroner said that the fatality occurred as the deceased was proceeding along a ledge to a place of work. He must have lost his footing and grip of the rope, but the actual cause of the accident was only a matter of surmise. -Evening Star, 26/10/1929.
No comments:
Post a Comment