ACCIDENTAL DEATH

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21037, 13 February 1940, Page 8

ACCIDENTAL DEATH

CAMBRIDGE FATALITY FALL FROM POWER POLE NO SAFETY BELT USED EVIDENCE AT INQUEST (Special to Times) CAMBRIDGE, Monday At the inquest held here today into the circumstances of the death of Thomas Marsden Harwood, im employee of the Cambridge Power Board, who fell from a pole at Fencourt, on December 13, the coroner, Mr F. W. Platts, returned a verdict of accidental death. Dr. H. C. Tod gave evidence that he examined the body at Fencourt and found that the neck had apparently been broken. Death had been practically instantaneous. Andrew Broderson, a linesman employed by the Cambridge Power Board and a brother-in-law of the deceased, stated that he was working on the same set of lines with Harwood. Witness was about half a mile away when he received word that caused him to go to his brother-in-law. He found Harwood was dead. He did not know what caused deceased to fall. Harwood had always enjoyed good health. Foreman’s Evidence F. Cooper, an employee of the Power Board, as foreman linesman, stated that he was engaged with his gang on the power line at Fencourt. At about 4 p.m. he left Harwood working on a dead line of wires about 20ft from the ground. He was standing on a ladder which was resting against a pole. Other workmen, including Harwood’s brother-in-law, Andrew Broderson, were engaged on the same set of wires some distance away. Witness had walked about two chains away from Harwood when he observed that Harwood was missing from the pole. He immediately went to investigate, accompanied by a tradesman, who was nearby. Deceased was found lying on his face in the long grass near the foot of the pole. His head appeared to fall limply when moved, but in case he had suffered an electric shock, witness immediately commenced artificial respiration and sent for a doctor. Harwood was not using a safety belt at the time, although one was available for him to use. “A Common Practice” To the coroner, Cooper said it was his duty to see that Harwood was wearing a safety belt, but it was a common practice that the body belts were not worn in cases like the job the deceased was working on. The reason for this was that the body belt was a hinderance to the workmen. To Constable Maisey, witness said

that if the belt had been worn it would have saved Harwood’s life. Onus of Wearing Belts Herbert Claude Oaten, engineer of the Cambridge Power Board, stated that he was called to the scene of the accident and found the deceased lying on the ground where artificial recusitatlon was being applied by the workmen. After the arrival of the doctor it was realised that deceased had been killed instantly. He checked over the safety equipment on the truck and found that the safety belts were there. The wording of the Act placed the onus of wearing the belt on the workmen. To the coroner, Oaten said there was considerable laxity among workmen in using the safety appliances. In this case there was no excuse for the non-wearing of the belt. Since the accident the Power Board had issued an instruction that the men working on the poles must wear the safety belt. No onus was thrown on the foreman to see that the instruction was carried out. To Mr Lundon, Oaten stated that deceased had been a good conscientious workman. The ladder was quite sound. | John Hamilton, an engineer em- ! ployed by the Public Works Department at Hamilton, stated that he was satisfied that the line on which Harwood was working was dead at the time. "Deceased was not wearing a safety belt at the time of the accident, although issued with one, and yet the job he was doing was one on which a safety belt could have been used to advantage, and would have prevented deceased falling to the ground.” Witness added that the regulations issued by the Public Works Department to power boards provided that the boards supply to workmen all safety appliances to meet electrical hazards, including safety belts, but the responsibility of using them was thrown on the worker. Constable C. H. Maisey stated that deceased’s left boot showed a distinct mark as though he had slipped on some hard substance. Witness was satisfied that the deceased was on good terms with all members of the Power Board staff.