Retired HSE Official Dies, Health and Safety Audited
Austin Mitchell was 74 at the time of his death. Mitchell was a health and safety official for many years, but fell victim to an incident that could be questioned in health and safety audits as a breach in safety and health. Mitchell was helping a neighbour to take down a shed in the neighbour’s backyard that turned out to be dangerous. The shed fell on him, killing him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
An inquest into the issue has heard the details. Mitchell’s daughter rushed to help when her mother called about the accident. She was able to find his body in the wreckage by calling his mobile phone, but it was too late. The incident was a favour that Mitchell volunteered to help the neighbour with. Because of his health and safety training, it was something he was qualified to help with.
Unfortunately, a series of incidents made the work more dangerous and led to his death. The inquest results have not been released as to whether there was any fault on behalf of those involved with the dismantling of the shed. Even Mitchell advised that it was a dangerous job. This is why he decided to lend his hand in the project. The importance of proper health and safety training cannot be emphasized enough, and any situation with the potential for injury should be approached with caution.
