Family demands justice after Ford factory death

Julie Campbell is distraught at having to explain to her young children how Lindsay Campbell is never coming home.

An inquest into the death of the 66-year-old design engineer has now concluded there were shortcomings in the health and safety procedures at Rudford Industrial Estate where he died.

Mrs Campbell, 49, of Waterlooville, Hampshire, said: “He should never have died – never. What we are going through, explaining to my little ones that they are not going to see their dad again, they are really struggling.

“Their dad should not have died like that – no-one deserves to go like that.”

Mr Campbell died in Royal London Hospital the day after an incident at South Coast Skips, on July 25 last year.

He and another worker were in the bucket of an excavator as they were installing a new machine and attempted to pass an electrical cable.

A hydraulic failure in the digger caused the bucket to tip forward, sending both men crashing to the concrete floor below.

An inquest by jury at Horsham concluded in a narrative verdict that it was not appropriate for the cabling work to be done from the excavator bucket. There was no mobile elevated platform on site.

Assistant coroner Elisabeth Jones concluded the ‘adequacy of the training in respect of health and safety was a relevant factor leading to Mr Campbell’s death’.

She also agreed the level of supervision on site was a relevant factor in the death.

Mrs Campbell, who had seven children with Mr Campbell after he remarried, added: “I want justice for him. I don’t want this to happen to another family.”

The Health and Safety Executive is continuing its investigation.

Police have since dropped criminal proceedings for manslaughter by gross negligence.