Health and Safety Breach in Firefighter Deaths
The Warwickshire council admits to safety breaches.
In November 2007, three firefighters were found dead in a factory. The fourth man involved in the incident died at the hospital. The Health and Safety Executive has spent the last five years researching the incident to ascertain whether a case should be taken to court. The case went to court once it was decided there were health and safety issues, but it has taken until 2012 for the council to plead guilty to the charges.
During the completed HSE health and safety audits, it was found that Section 2 of the Health and Safety Act of 1974 was breached. The council made a statement of a limited plea. The council stated they were guilty of the charges connected to the Atherstone Fire. The plea is limited because the council does not accept all of the allegations the prosecution are offering. They believe that stating their feelings completely to the public may prejudice the legal case and therefore they are not going to elaborate on the limited pleas.
The council will most likely be fined due to the guilty plea. This will mean a fine and additional fees will be required by the council. The funds may be used to help the families left behind due to the deaths of the fire fighters. It does seem that, after many years, justice will finally be seen for these families.
