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Written by
on 07 September 2012

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A talented lawyer was killed as a large and heavy window frame fell onto her as she walked down on the pavement below.  Workers installing windows for the Westgreen Construction Ltd firm based in surrey were working in Oxford Street when the incident occurred.  It is said that a very strong gust of wind caught hold of the window frame and that caused it to fall to the ground. Unfortunately the young lawyer, Amanda Telfer, was walking past at that very time and the frame fell directly on her.

Ms Telfer was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts to save her by the air ambulance, cycle responders, ambulance crews and the hazardous area response team. Her co-workers from Keystone Law based in London have spoken of their sadness and how talented Ms Tefler was at her job.

Health and Safety Investigations Underway

The Health and Safety Executive are currently investigating the incident with the help of the police and full compliance of Westgreen Construction. Many people spoke to the news reporters at the scene stating that they had seen the large and heavy window frame propped up against the wall located on the ground floor of the building the work was being carried out on. Another witness also said that there had been some barriers in place previously; however they had recently been taken down before the accident that occurred on August 30.

It is unclear as yet if this accident could have been avoided. It may be a case of in the wrong place at the wrong time as suggested by a witness who had been taking some electrical cables to a nearby building. He also said that he heard a large bang and turned to see the frame on the ground and Ms Telfer underneath.  The Health and Safety Executive will be sure to come to the bottom of the accident and determine if it was a freak accident, or if something could have been done to prevent it.

Evaluate Your Current Practices

It’s accidents like these that highlight the dangers and the responsibilities of those in the construction industry. There have to be sensible measures in place to ensure the safety of those nearby and risks have to be assessed. Health and safety consultants are able to work with you to evaluate your current policies and procedures to help prevent tragedies such as these.

We have multiple services available designed to ensure the safety of your employees and the public by as much as is reasonably practicable. If you have any concerns about your safe systems of work, or require information regarding training, safety audits or any other health and safety service we provide please contact one of our helpful team.  To contact us simply call us on 0800 1488 677 or use our simple online form and we will get in touch with you shortly.

About 

A chartered (fellow) safety and risk management practitioner with 20+ years of experience. David provides a healthy dose of how-to articles, advice and guidance to make compliance easier for construction professionals, Architects and the built environment. Get social with David on Twitter and Linkedin.

A chartered (fellow) safety and risk management practitioner with 20+ years of experience. David provides a healthy dose of how-to articles, advice and guidance to make compliance easier for construction professionals, Architects and the built environment. Get social with David on Twitter and Linkedin.

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