Shaun Carter · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On the 7th June, the senior coroner commenced an investigation into the death of Shaun Carter. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 19th July 2017. The conclusion of the inquest was a narrative conclusion. The medical cause of death was:

1a) Blunt Head Trauma.

Shaun Carter was employed by Tonic Construction and on 31st May 2016 he was engaged in removing spoil to a spoil heap at a construction site in Cirencester. Evidence demonstrated that Shaun drove his dumper truck up the spoil heap, however at the top the truck went over the edge. Shaun jumped from the dumper truck but was struck by it during the fall. He suffered catastrophic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

1. At the inquest there was evidence that the risks associated with the use of dumper trucks was recognised and that risk assessments and method statements were written which reflected these risks. However the safety procedures were not followed, not seen by all relevant personnel (some of whom could not read) and the practice in this regard was not audited.

2. At the inquest it was confirmed that there was no process in place to ensure that spoil heaps were managed safely, nor any guidelines issued by the HSE in this regard. This has been addressed by Tonic Construction in relation to the site its manages, but there are still no industry standards relating to the management of spoil heaps.

3. Dumper trucks are designed to ensure that drivers are protected, even if the dumper trucks topple over. However the inherent open nature of trucks can nonetheless make the driver feeling vulnerable and despite the instructions which require the driver to remain seated during an incident, statistics indicate (as in this case) that the natural reaction of drivers is to jump from the truck.