QUARRYMAN’S DEATH.

Otago Witness, Issue 3754, 23 February 1926, Page 9

QUARRYMAN’S DEATH.

WORKING CONDITIONS CRITICISED. The inquest into the circumstances of the death of Edward Dormer aged 45,' who died in the Dunedin Hospital on the 13th, was continued on Wednesday morning before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., who sat as coroner. Deceased had been a patient of the hospital for some months, having suffered from an injury to his leg received fhrough a rock falling on him, while he was working at the Woodhaugh Quarry. Sergeant Dunlop appeared for the police, Mr F. B. Adams for the relatives of the deceased, Mr H E. Barrowclough for the City Corporation, Mr A. Whitlev for the Mines Department, and Mr J. E. MacManus for the Labourers’ Union Dr Eric Frederick D‘Arth, assistant pathologist at the Otago University, said that he had made a post mortem examination of the body on Saturday. Tlie left leg was fractured in two places, and the bones of the left foot were also broken The skull and brain were normal. The kidneys were slightly congested and the valves and main arteries of the heart were degenerated. Witness was of opinion that death was due to sudden heart failure owing to degeneration of the arteries. The accident had in no way caused deocased’s death. In reply to a question from Mr Adams v. itness said that lying in bed may have narrowed the coronary arteries and thus restricted the blood supply to the heart. Alexander O’Neill, foreman at the City Corporation Quarry at Woodhaugh, said he nad been employed there for about 18 years. An entry in his diary showed that he had inspected the quarry and plant and had found all safe. There were 13 men at the quarry that morning. Deceased was working at the, bottom end spalling stones. After making his inspection he peard a noise and saw Dormer fall back into the quarry. He saw that Dormer’s leg was hurt and went to get splints and to ring

for the ambulance. The stone did not come from an overhanging part but fell out of the face. There ha<4 been no blasting there for a fortnight previously. In reply to Mr Whilley witness said he made his examination by walking along the floor of the quarry. He did not sound any of the overhanging rock. If he had sounded the stone he supposed it would have given some indication of being loose, but it had never been the custom to sound the rooks. To Mr Bartholomew: He just depended on what he coura see with the eye. Men went over the face and cleared it occasionally. To Mr MacManus: The rock was above where deceased was working. The face was composed of solid rock. To Mr Barrowclough: There was no necessity to go over the face every day. Two men could not do it in a day. The rock which had fallen on deceased was 15 to 18 inches long and 9 inches thick. Alexander Whitley, inspector of quarries for the Otago and Southland districts, said he was informed of the accident on the day it happened He made an examination of the quarry two days later and found that the face was overhanging behind the spot where the man was working for about sft 6in about 15ft above the floor. Mr o‘Neill had informed him that he had not sounded the overhanging rock. Wit ness considered it a very dangerous practice to work undercutting the face of the quarry, especially so in the Woodhaugh quarry where the rock was in horizontal layers and broken by cross-joints. His previous inspection was made on Mav 12. when there was no overhanging rock. To the Coroner: He stopped work in that part of the quarry where the face was overhanging. To Mr Barrowclough: The face of the quarry was almost perpendicular. The rock that fell was part of the overhang It was projecting nine inches. He had on several occasions ordered the removal of rocks projecting only nine inches in quarries he had inspected. To the Coroner: In a quarry like Woodhaugh the foreman should come over the top on a rope and inspect the part of the face where the men were working and try with a light rod any loose rocks. The examination could be made in half an hour. The area inspected would need to be only a chain in width. The Coroner said that the post-mortem had shown that death was caused by heart failure, due to degeneration, and had no direct connection with _the injuries. It might be that there was some indirect connection in that the degeneration might have been accelerated through the patient lying in bed for such a length of time. The working conditions at the quarry had come under review and it was evident that they were unsafe. An inspection from the floor of the quarry was not satisfactory and did not give any assurance of safety. There should be an actual inspection of the face with a crowbar or some other instrument. Evidence had been given by the inspector regarding unsafe conditions of work at the quarry. ,The customary examination did not suffice. The Coroner said he could not make any finding that the accident was the cause of death. The verdict would be that death wa§ due tc heart failure duo to degeneration of the blood vessels.