Concerns raised 7 Unavailability of safety modification software as a standard feature for comparable bin lorries View source Obstruction of emergency-stop access from within the rear danger zone View source Failure of driver-cab monitors to provide clear visibility of the rear of the bin lorry in sun glare View source Delays in implementing important machinery safety changes View source Deficient public warning signs about the rear danger zone View source Risk of inadvertent whole-body lifting of a person from the rear danger zone into the bin lorry hopper View source Failure of automatic bin lift systems to differentiate between a bin and a person View source See 4 more concerns
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements No action or position from this recipient is clearly linked to the concerns in this report.
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AI-generated summary
Mr David John CARPENTER · Prevention of Future Deaths report
This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.
Report summary
Mr David John Carpenter, a refuse collector, was lifted into the rear hopper of a bin lorry after activating a proximity start sensor, and his coat became caught on the lifting chair comb tooth. The automatic compaction cycle caused fatal injuries. The report raises concerns about risks from automatic bin-lift machinery, including inadvertent whole-body lifting, inaccessible emergency stops, inadequate warnings and the continued use of many machines with suboptimal safety.
Read the report on judiciary.uk
× Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Dennis Eagle Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Unavailability of safety modification software as a standard feature for comparable bin lorries
Wider context from the report “i. The inquest explored issues such as the safety of the machinery (the bin lorry, in particular the bin lift system in automatic mode).
ii. The life span of this type of machinery i.e. Bin lorries is 8 – 12 years. There are thousands of bin lorries of this or similar design still in circulation in April 2024. The evidence was as it is estimated 4 to 6 million residential bins are lifted every day by bin lorries provided by the manufacturers.
iii. It was/ is foreseeable that both workers (e.g. refuse collectors) and members of the public will approach the danger zone at the rear of the RCV. In the case of workers, for example, to remove debris/ detritus which occurs frequently on residential waste collection rounds.
iv. The circumstances of this inquest touching upon the death of David Carpenter in January 2023 accentuated this point.
v. A risk of inadvertent whole-body lifting into the manufactures bin lorry hopper of a person in the danger zone carries with it a risk of death.
vi. Since the incident “new” machine designs [ as of January 2024] deal with some, but not all issues, as arose in the inquest e.g. differentiation between a bin and a person; warning signs easily visible to the public and reminding bin operatives; additional estops being more accessible from within the danger zone unlike the design in January 2023 in which transparent screens were adjacent to the bin lift controls and the emergency stop and thereby an obstacle to the accessibility of the emergency stop when an emergency arose with a person located within the danger zone; audible bleeps confirming the engagement and disengagement of automatic mode. The “new” machines however are very few when considered in totality of huge number of the manufactures RCV in circulation.
vii. The availability of “modification software” (this software (amongst other functional changes) monitoring the RCV sensors [bin lost function] with the effect that a person may still be inadvertently lifted into the hopper but the automatic compaction cycle now not engaging and thus some risk of death is reduced) in relation to vehicles of the same or similar specification to that in the inquest is at choice and cost to the user .
viii. The cumulative effect being potentially important changes in the machinery in this hazardous working environment are inordinately slow, thus significant mechanical risks (best managed by the manufacturers) remain in April 2024 and compounded by the fact that the volume of work is high in this aspect of the waste industry i.e. millions of bin lifted daily.
ix. In addition there are example of issues which remain insufficiently considered/ actioned in relation to these ‘machines of suboptimal safety’ which include “sun glare on monitors” in the drivers cab which impact upon the ability of a driver to more clearly see the rear of the bin lorry and observe refuse collectors and thereby enhance safety in the hazardous job of refuse collection, mindful an emergency stop button is readily accessible in the drivers cab; clearly visible public warning signs about the danger zone remain deficient; the continued use of a Perspex/ transparent screen between the rear bin lift controls and the danger zone which amounts to an obstacle to a person activating the emergency stop in an emergency.
x. There remains (now 15 months post Mr Carpenters death) thousands of machines of ‘sub optimal’ safety on UK roads. The bin lorry manufacturers with some 8- 10 thousand lorries (albeit not all at automatic mode RCVs) on UK streets.
xi. The evidence was customers are most, if not all Local Authorities in UK. The manufacturers sell to waste contractors who collect on behalf of Local Authorities and sell to hire company from who Local Authorities hire vehicles. The cumulative effect is such that a concern as to future deaths exists as of April 2024.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Dennis Eagle Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Obstruction of emergency-stop access from within the rear danger zone
Wider context from the report “i. The inquest explored issues such as the safety of the machinery (the bin lorry, in particular the bin lift system in automatic mode).
ii. The life span of this type of machinery i.e. Bin lorries is 8 – 12 years. There are thousands of bin lorries of this or similar design still in circulation in April 2024. The evidence was as it is estimated 4 to 6 million residential bins are lifted every day by bin lorries provided by the manufacturers.
iii. It was/ is foreseeable that both workers (e.g. refuse collectors) and members of the public will approach the danger zone at the rear of the RCV. In the case of workers, for example, to remove debris/ detritus which occurs frequently on residential waste collection rounds.
iv. The circumstances of this inquest touching upon the death of David Carpenter in January 2023 accentuated this point.
v. A risk of inadvertent whole-body lifting into the manufactures bin lorry hopper of a person in the danger zone carries with it a risk of death.
vi. Since the incident “new” machine designs [ as of January 2024] deal with some, but not all issues, as arose in the inquest e.g. differentiation between a bin and a person; warning signs easily visible to the public and reminding bin operatives; additional estops being more accessible from within the danger zone unlike the design in January 2023 in which transparent screens were adjacent to the bin lift controls and the emergency stop and thereby an obstacle to the accessibility of the emergency stop when an emergency arose with a person located within the danger zone; audible bleeps confirming the engagement and disengagement of automatic mode. The “new” machines however are very few when considered in totality of huge number of the manufactures RCV in circulation.
vii. The availability of “modification software” (this software (amongst other functional changes) monitoring the RCV sensors [bin lost function] with the effect that a person may still be inadvertently lifted into the hopper but the automatic compaction cycle now not engaging and thus some risk of death is reduced) in relation to vehicles of the same or similar specification to that in the inquest is at choice and cost to the user.
viii. The cumulative effect being potentially important changes in the machinery in this hazardous working environment are inordinately slow, thus significant mechanical risks (best managed by the manufacturers) remain in April 2024 and compounded by the fact that the volume of work is high in this aspect of the waste industry i.e. millions of bin lifted daily.
ix. In addition there are example of issues which remain insufficiently considered/ actioned in relation to these ‘machines of suboptimal safety’ which include “sun glare on monitors” in the drivers cab which impact upon the ability of a driver to more clearly see the rear of the bin lorry and observe refuse collectors and thereby enhance safety in the hazardous job of refuse collection, mindful an emergency stop button is readily accessible in the drivers cab; clearly visible public warning signs about the danger zone remain deficient; the continued use of a Perspex/ transparent screen between the rear bin lift controls and the danger zone which amounts to an obstacle to a person activating the emergency stop in an emergency.
x. There remains (now 15 months post Mr Carpenters death) thousands of machines of ‘sub optimal’ safety on UK roads. The bin lorry manufacturers with some 8- 10 thousand lorries (albeit not all at automatic mode RCVs) on UK streets.
xi. The evidence was customers are most, if not all Local Authorities in UK. The manufacturers sell to waste contractors who collect on behalf of Local Authorities and sell to hire company from who Local Authorities hire vehicles. The cumulative effect is such that a concern as to future deaths exists as of April 2024.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Dennis Eagle Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure of driver-cab monitors to provide clear visibility of the rear of the bin lorry in sun glare
Wider context from the report “i. The inquest explored issues such as the safety of the machinery (the bin lorry, in particular the bin lift system in automatic mode).
ii. The life span of this type of machinery i.e. Bin lorries is 8 – 12 years. There are thousands of bin lorries of this or similar design still in circulation in April 2024. The evidence was as it is estimated 4 to 6 million residential bins are lifted every day by bin lorries provided by the manufacturers.
iii. It was/ is foreseeable that both workers (e.g. refuse collectors) and members of the public will approach the danger zone at the rear of the RCV. In the case of workers, for example, to remove debris/ detritus which occurs frequently on residential waste collection rounds.
iv. The circumstances of this inquest touching upon the death of David Carpenter in January 2023 accentuated this point.
v. A risk of inadvertent whole-body lifting into the manufactures bin lorry hopper of a person in the danger zone carries with it a risk of death.
vi. Since the incident “new” machine designs [ as of January 2024] deal with some, but not all issues, as arose in the inquest e.g. differentiation between a bin and a person; warning signs easily visible to the public and reminding bin operatives; additional estops being more accessible from within the danger zone unlike the design in January 2023 in which transparent screens were adjacent to the bin lift controls and the emergency stop and thereby an obstacle to the accessibility of the emergency stop when an emergency arose with a person located within the danger zone; audible bleeps confirming the engagement and disengagement of automatic mode. The “new” machines however are very few when considered in totality of huge number of the manufactures RCV in circulation.
vii. The availability of “modification software” (this software (amongst other functional changes) monitoring the RCV sensors [bin lost function] with the effect that a person may still be inadvertently lifted into the hopper but the automatic compaction cycle now not engaging and thus some risk of death is reduced) in relation to vehicles of the same or similar specification to that in the inquest is at choice and cost to the user.
viii. The cumulative effect being potentially important changes in the machinery in this hazardous working environment are inordinately slow, thus significant mechanical risks (best managed by the manufacturers) remain in April 2024 and compounded by the fact that the volume of work is high in this aspect of the waste industry i.e. millions of bin lifted daily.
ix. In addition there are example of issues which remain insufficiently considered/ actioned in relation to these ‘machines of suboptimal safety’ which include “sun glare on monitors” in the drivers cab which impact upon the ability of a driver to more clearly see the rear of the bin lorry and observe refuse collectors and thereby enhance safety in the hazardous job of refuse collection, mindful an emergency stop button is readily accessible in the drivers cab; clearly visible public warning signs about the danger zone remain deficient; the continued use of a Perspex/ transparent screen between the rear bin lift controls and the danger zone which amounts to an obstacle to a person activating the emergency stop in an emergency.
x. There remains (now 15 months post Mr Carpenters death) thousands of machines of ‘sub optimal’ safety on UK roads. The bin lorry manufacturers with some 8- 10 thousand lorries (albeit not all at automatic mode RCVs) on UK streets.
xi. The evidence was customers are most, if not all Local Authorities in UK. The manufacturers sell to waste contractors who collect on behalf of Local Authorities and sell to hire company from who Local Authorities hire vehicles. The cumulative effect is such that a concern as to future deaths exists as of April 2024.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Dennis Eagle Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Delays in implementing important machinery safety changes
Wider context from the report “i. The inquest explored issues such as the safety of the machinery (the bin lorry, in particular the bin lift system in automatic mode).
ii. The life span of this type of machinery i.e. Bin lorries is 8 – 12 years. There are thousands of bin lorries of this or similar design still in circulation in April 2024. The evidence was as it is estimated 4 to 6 million residential bins are lifted every day by bin lorries provided by the manufacturers.
iii. It was/ is foreseeable that both workers (e.g. refuse collectors) and members of the public will approach the danger zone at the rear of the RCV. In the case of workers, for example, to remove debris/ detritus which occurs frequently on residential waste collection rounds.
iv. The circumstances of this inquest touching upon the death of David Carpenter in January 2023 accentuated this point.
v. A risk of inadvertent whole-body lifting into the manufactures bin lorry hopper of a person in the danger zone carries with it a risk of death.
vi. Since the incident “new” machine designs [ as of January 2024] deal with some, but not all issues, as arose in the inquest e.g. differentiation between a bin and a person; warning signs easily visible to the public and reminding bin operatives; additional estops being more accessible from within the danger zone unlike the design in January 2023 in which transparent screens were adjacent to the bin lift controls and the emergency stop and thereby an obstacle to the accessibility of the emergency stop when an emergency arose with a person located within the danger zone; audible bleeps confirming the engagement and disengagement of automatic mode. The “new” machines however are very few when considered in totality of huge number of the manufactures RCV in circulation.
vii. The availability of “modification software” (this software (amongst other functional changes) monitoring the RCV sensors [bin lost function] with the effect that a person may still be inadvertently lifted into the hopper but the automatic compaction cycle now not engaging and thus some risk of death is reduced) in relation to vehicles of the same or similar specification to that in the inquest is at choice and cost to the user.
viii. The cumulative effect being potentially important changes in the machinery in this hazardous working environment are inordinately slow , thus significant mechanical risks (best managed by the manufacturers) remain in April 2024 and compounded by the fact that the volume of work is high in this aspect of the waste industry i.e. millions of bin lifted daily.
ix. In addition there are example of issues which remain insufficiently considered/ actioned in relation to these ‘machines of suboptimal safety’ which include “sun glare on monitors” in the drivers cab which impact upon the ability of a driver to more clearly see the rear of the bin lorry and observe refuse collectors and thereby enhance safety in the hazardous job of refuse collection, mindful an emergency stop button is readily accessible in the drivers cab; clearly visible public warning signs about the danger zone remain deficient; the continued use of a Perspex/ transparent screen between the rear bin lift controls and the danger zone which amounts to an obstacle to a person activating the emergency stop in an emergency.
x. There remains (now 15 months post Mr Carpenters death) thousands of machines of ‘sub optimal’ safety on UK roads. The bin lorry manufacturers with some 8- 10 thousand lorries (albeit not all at automatic mode RCVs) on UK streets.
xi. The evidence was customers are most, if not all Local Authorities in UK. The manufacturers sell to waste contractors who collect on behalf of Local Authorities and sell to hire company from who Local Authorities hire vehicles. The cumulative effect is such that a concern as to future deaths exists as of April 2024.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Dennis Eagle Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Deficient public warning signs about the rear danger zone
Wider context from the report “i. The inquest explored issues such as the safety of the machinery (the bin lorry, in particular the bin lift system in automatic mode).
ii. The life span of this type of machinery i.e. Bin lorries is 8 – 12 years. There are thousands of bin lorries of this or similar design still in circulation in April 2024. The evidence was as it is estimated 4 to 6 million residential bins are lifted every day by bin lorries provided by the manufacturers.
iii. It was/ is foreseeable that both workers (e.g. refuse collectors) and members of the public will approach the danger zone at the rear of the RCV. In the case of workers, for example, to remove debris/ detritus which occurs frequently on residential waste collection rounds.
iv. The circumstances of this inquest touching upon the death of David Carpenter in January 2023 accentuated this point.
v. A risk of inadvertent whole-body lifting into the manufactures bin lorry hopper of a person in the danger zone carries with it a risk of death.
vi. Since the incident “new” machine designs [ as of January 2024] deal with some, but not all issues, as arose in the inquest e.g. differentiation between a bin and a person; warning signs easily visible to the public and reminding bin operatives; additional estops being more accessible from within the danger zone unlike the design in January 2023 in which transparent screens were adjacent to the bin lift controls and the emergency stop and thereby an obstacle to the accessibility of the emergency stop when an emergency arose with a person located within the danger zone; audible bleeps confirming the engagement and disengagement of automatic mode. The “new” machines however are very few when considered in totality of huge number of the manufactures RCV in circulation.
vii. The availability of “modification software” (this software (amongst other functional changes) monitoring the RCV sensors [bin lost function] with the effect that a person may still be inadvertently lifted into the hopper but the automatic compaction cycle now not engaging and thus some risk of death is reduced) in relation to vehicles of the same or similar specification to that in the inquest is at choice and cost to the user.
viii. The cumulative effect being potentially important changes in the machinery in this hazardous working environment are inordinately slow, thus significant mechanical risks (best managed by the manufacturers) remain in April 2024 and compounded by the fact that the volume of work is high in this aspect of the waste industry i.e. millions of bin lifted daily.
ix. In addition there are example of issues which remain insufficiently considered/ actioned in relation to these ‘machines of suboptimal safety’ which include “sun glare on monitors” in the drivers cab which impact upon the ability of a driver to more clearly see the rear of the bin lorry and observe refuse collectors and thereby enhance safety in the hazardous job of refuse collection, mindful an emergency stop button is readily accessible in the drivers cab; clearly visible public warning signs about the danger zone remain deficient ; the continued use of a Perspex/ transparent screen between the rear bin lift controls and the danger zone which amounts to an obstacle to a person activating the emergency stop in an emergency.
x. There remains (now 15 months post Mr Carpenters death) thousands of machines of ‘sub optimal’ safety on UK roads. The bin lorry manufacturers with some 8- 10 thousand lorries (albeit not all at automatic mode RCVs) on UK streets.
xi. The evidence was customers are most, if not all Local Authorities in UK. The manufacturers sell to waste contractors who collect on behalf of Local Authorities and sell to hire company from who Local Authorities hire vehicles. The cumulative effect is such that a concern as to future deaths exists as of April 2024.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Dennis Eagle Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Risk of inadvertent whole-body lifting of a person from the rear danger zone into the bin lorry hopper
Wider context from the report “i. The inquest explored issues such as the safety of the machinery (the bin lorry, in particular the bin lift system in automatic mode).
ii. The life span of this type of machinery i.e. Bin lorries is 8 – 12 years. There are thousands of bin lorries of this or similar design still in circulation in April 2024. The evidence was as it is estimated 4 to 6 million residential bins are lifted every day by bin lorries provided by the manufacturers.
iii. It was/ is foreseeable that both workers (e.g. refuse collectors) and members of the public will approach the danger zone at the rear of the RCV. In the case of workers, for example, to remove debris/ detritus which occurs frequently on residential waste collection rounds.
iv. The circumstances of this inquest touching upon the death of David Carpenter in January 2023 accentuated this point.
v. A risk of inadvertent whole-body lifting into the manufactures bin lorry hopper of a person in the danger zone carries with it a risk of death.
vi. Since the incident “new” machine designs [ as of January 2024] deal with some, but not all issues, as arose in the inquest e.g. differentiation between a bin and a person; warning signs easily visible to the public and reminding bin operatives; additional estops being more accessible from within the danger zone unlike the design in January 2023 in which transparent screens were adjacent to the bin lift controls and the emergency stop and thereby an obstacle to the accessibility of the emergency stop when an emergency arose with a person located within the danger zone; audible bleeps confirming the engagement and disengagement of automatic mode. The “new” machines however are very few when considered in totality of huge number of the manufactures RCV in circulation.
vii. The availability of “modification software” (this software (amongst other functional changes) monitoring the RCV sensors [bin lost function] with the effect that a person may still be inadvertently lifted into the hopper but the automatic compaction cycle now not engaging and thus some risk of death is reduced) in relation to vehicles of the same or similar specification to that in the inquest is at choice and cost to the user.
viii. The cumulative effect being potentially important changes in the machinery in this hazardous working environment are inordinately slow, thus significant mechanical risks (best managed by the manufacturers) remain in April 2024 and compounded by the fact that the volume of work is high in this aspect of the waste industry i.e. millions of bin lifted daily.
ix. In addition there are example of issues which remain insufficiently considered/ actioned in relation to these ‘machines of suboptimal safety’ which include “sun glare on monitors” in the drivers cab which impact upon the ability of a driver to more clearly see the rear of the bin lorry and observe refuse collectors and thereby enhance safety in the hazardous job of refuse collection, mindful an emergency stop button is readily accessible in the drivers cab; clearly visible public warning signs about the danger zone remain deficient; the continued use of a Perspex/ transparent screen between the rear bin lift controls and the danger zone which amounts to an obstacle to a person activating the emergency stop in an emergency.
x. There remains (now 15 months post Mr Carpenters death) thousands of machines of ‘sub optimal’ safety on UK roads. The bin lorry manufacturers with some 8- 10 thousand lorries (albeit not all at automatic mode RCVs) on UK streets.
xi. The evidence was customers are most, if not all Local Authorities in UK. The manufacturers sell to waste contractors who collect on behalf of Local Authorities and sell to hire company from who Local Authorities hire vehicles. The cumulative effect is such that a concern as to future deaths exists as of April 2024.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Dennis Eagle Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure of automatic bin lift systems to differentiate between a bin and a person
Wider context from the report “i. The inquest explored issues such as the safety of the machinery (the bin lorry, in particular the bin lift system in automatic mode).
ii. The life span of this type of machinery i.e. Bin lorries is 8 – 12 years. There are thousands of bin lorries of this or similar design still in circulation in April 2024. The evidence was as it is estimated 4 to 6 million residential bins are lifted every day by bin lorries provided by the manufacturers.
iii. It was/ is foreseeable that both workers (e.g. refuse collectors) and members of the public will approach the danger zone at the rear of the RCV. In the case of workers, for example, to remove debris/ detritus which occurs frequently on residential waste collection rounds.
iv. The circumstances of this inquest touching upon the death of David Carpenter in January 2023 accentuated this point.
v. A risk of inadvertent whole-body lifting into the manufactures bin lorry hopper of a person in the danger zone carries with it a risk of death.
vi. Since the incident “new” machine designs [ as of January 2024] deal with some, but not all issues, as arose in the inquest e.g. differentiation between a bin and a person ; warning signs easily visible to the public and reminding bin operatives; additional estops being more accessible from within the danger zone unlike the design in January 2023 in which transparent screens were adjacent to the bin lift controls and the emergency stop and thereby an obstacle to the accessibility of the emergency stop when an emergency arose with a person located within the danger zone; audible bleeps confirming the engagement and disengagement of automatic mode. The “new” machines however are very few when considered in totality of huge number of the manufactures RCV in circulation.
vii. The availability of “modification software” (this software (amongst other functional changes) monitoring the RCV sensors [bin lost function] with the effect that a person may still be inadvertently lifted into the hopper but the automatic compaction cycle now not engaging and thus some risk of death is reduced) in relation to vehicles of the same or similar specification to that in the inquest is at choice and cost to the user.
viii. The cumulative effect being potentially important changes in the machinery in this hazardous working environment are inordinately slow, thus significant mechanical risks (best managed by the manufacturers) remain in April 2024 and compounded by the fact that the volume of work is high in this aspect of the waste industry i.e. millions of bin lifted daily.
ix. In addition there are example of issues which remain insufficiently considered/ actioned in relation to these ‘machines of suboptimal safety’ which include “sun glare on monitors” in the drivers cab which impact upon the ability of a driver to more clearly see the rear of the bin lorry and observe refuse collectors and thereby enhance safety in the hazardous job of refuse collection, mindful an emergency stop button is readily accessible in the drivers cab; clearly visible public warning signs about the danger zone remain deficient; the continued use of a Perspex/ transparent screen between the rear bin lift controls and the danger zone which amounts to an obstacle to a person activating the emergency stop in an emergency.
x. There remains (now 15 months post Mr Carpenters death) thousands of machines of ‘sub optimal’ safety on UK roads. The bin lorry manufacturers with some 8- 10 thousand lorries (albeit not all at automatic mode RCVs) on UK streets.
xi. The evidence was customers are most, if not all Local Authorities in UK. The manufacturers sell to waste contractors who collect on behalf of Local Authorities and sell to hire company from who Local Authorities hire vehicles. The cumulative effect is such that a concern as to future deaths exists as of April 2024.
” Open source report
1 Apr 2022 Corrie McKeague · Prevention of Future Deaths report Suffolk
View report summary
Concerns raised 5 Failure of bin locks to prevent individuals entering bins View source Lack of automated recognition of unusually heavy bins View source Failure to provide and safety-check equipment for thorough and safe bin searches View source Failure of lorry viewing apertures to provide usable hopper visibility View source Failure of compaction processes to allow hopper inspection before compaction View source See 2 more concerns
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements No action or position from this recipient is clearly linked to the concerns in this report.
×
AI-generated summary
Corrie McKeague · Prevention of Future Deaths report
This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.
Report summary
Corrie McKeague disappeared in Bury St Edmunds on 24 September 2016 after entering a commercial waste-bin area, and was later determined to have died in the back of a refuse lorry. The inquest identified concerns including ineffective bin locks and bin searches, lack of safe search equipment for drivers, and poor visibility through the lorry’s viewing window.
Read the report on judiciary.uk
× Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Dennis Eagle Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure of bin locks to prevent individuals entering bins
Wider context from the report “1. Ineffective bin locks.
The court heard that bin locks were designed to keep waste within the bin, keep inclement weather out, but were not designed to keep individuals out . The locks were described as not robust, and a determined or strong individual would get in . Due to their design the locks were also frequently broken .
Stronger locks (such as snap locks) had been considered, but due to the risk of entombing (an individual inadvertently becoming locked inside a bin) stronger locks had been discounted. However, the choir heard there are currently no stronger bin locks available which would allow an individual to open them from the inside should they become entombed in a bin.
There were 740 reported incidents of people in bins over a 6-year period (i.e. 10 per week), which are likely to be reduced if stronger locks are fitted.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Dennis Eagle Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Lack of automated recognition of unusually heavy bins
Wider context from the report “2. Ineffective search of the bin.
Despite the lifting mechanism recording the weight of each bin every time it is lifted, there is no automated/digital system to recognise when a bin is significantly heavier than it usually is .
In this case the usual weight in the bin (based on an average of 13 previous collections) was approximately 15kgs. The bin weight recorded by the lifting mechanism on the dust cart was 116kgs. Such a significant difference in weight of a particular bin, is something that should be recognisable and should warrant a further check being completed .
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Dennis Eagle Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure to provide and safety-check equipment for thorough and safe bin searches
Wider context from the report “3. Any driver not having the means to search the bin thoroughly or safely .
The court heard that drivers are now told to use a ‘push stick’ to allow a more thorough search of the contents of a bin. This instruction was not in place at the time of this incident.
However, it was not clear from the evidence if the push stick is an identifiable piece of equipment on every vehicle , or if it is deemed as a piece of safety equipment, and therefore included in the daily safety checks of the vehicle .
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Dennis Eagle Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure of lorry viewing apertures to provide usable hopper visibility
Wider context from the report “4. Poor visibility through the Perspex viewing window on the lorry
In relation to the poor visibility through the Perspex viewing aperture/window on the lorry two factors were identified:
Firstly, it is physically impossible to undertake a check of the hopper mechanism on the Biffa lorry as the viewing aperture window is too high for this to be achieved by an average height driver .
Secondly, on the six-year-old vehicle in question the Perspex had become opaque .
A Detective Constable who had watched the lifting process to provide evidence of its operation for the court, described the driver as standing on tiptoes to try a check the vehicle hopper, whilst peering around the wing of the lifting mechanism. When asked specifically about the viewing window the officer said it was too high to see through and opaque. The officer told the court the viewing aperture was ‘totally useless’ as a means of checking what was being loaded into the hopper .
Whilst viewing the hopper is impossible on the current vehicle, it renders the instruction for drivers to view the hopper prior to compaction (contained in the Biffa Operating Instructions for Trade Waste Vehicles) impossible to achieve.
In addition, the automatic nature of the compaction process, also makes adherence to the Operating Instructions impossible on some vehicles, as compaction starts immediately the bin is tipped.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Dennis Eagle Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure of compaction processes to allow hopper inspection before compaction
Wider context from the report “4. Poor visibility through the Perspex viewing window on the lorry
In relation to the poor visibility through the Perspex viewing aperture/window on the lorry two factors were identified:
Firstly, it is physically impossible to undertake a check of the hopper mechanism on the Biffa lorry as the viewing aperture window is too high for this to be achieved by an average height driver.
Secondly, on the six-year-old vehicle in question the Perspex had become opaque.
A Detective Constable who had watched the lifting process to provide evidence of its operation for the court, described the driver as standing on tiptoes to try a check the vehicle hopper, whilst peering around the wing of the lifting mechanism. When asked specifically about the viewing window the officer said it was too high to see through and opaque. The officer told the court the viewing aperture was ‘totally useless’ as a means of checking what was being loaded into the hopper.
Whilst viewing the hopper is impossible on the current vehicle, it renders the instruction for drivers to view the hopper prior to compaction (contained in the Biffa Operating Instructions for Trade Waste Vehicles) impossible to achieve.
In addition, the automatic nature of the compaction process, also makes adherence to the Operating Instructions impossible on some vehicles , as compaction starts immediately the bin is tipped .
” Open source report
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Information checked against published PFD reports and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations