Mark Keith PARRY · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 8th March 2017 an investigation was commenced into the death of Mark Keith PARRY born 14th March 1980. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 18th March 2019. The conclusion of the inquest jury was that the deceased had died whilst undertaking repairs on a heavy goods vehicle when he was struck on the head by a piston from an exploding airspling which led to brainstem (duret) haemorrhage. The jury determined that the deceased had died by accident.

Mark Keith Parry was a specialist heavy goods vehicle mechanic. On 21st February 2017 he was called out to a broken down heavy goods vehicle in Nantwich. He identified the cause of the breakdown as a broken trailing arm on axle 3, the rear most axle on the trailer unit. He crawled underneath the trailer unit in order to strap the trailing arm on axle 3 to axle 2 so that the HGV could be driven to a yard for repair. He exhausted the air supply out of the airbag to axle 3 but had not done so with the air supply to the airbag on axle 2. Whilst the strap was attached to axle 3 and axle 2 it was not secured tight as the ratchet clasp used to do that was open leaving the strap lose and baggy. Mr Parry was getting out from underneath the trailer unit using his legs first, his upper body and head being raised between axle 3 and axle 2, when an explosion occurred and the bellow from axle 2 was ejected and struck Mr Parry on the back of his head. He was transferred by air ambulance to the Royal Stoke University Hospital where he died on 2nd March 2017 from the unsurvivable head injuries received.

Guidance

That there are no published guidelines by the Health and Safety Executive to mechanics and those companies that employ mechanics on how to work with or approach working with Air Suspensions on Heavy Goods Vehicles. The value of such guidance is that it would signpost strategies and risks attached to such work.