Bridgnorth engineer's gas leak death ruled accidental

David Chandler, 45, died at the Carlsberg factory in Northampton in November 2016 while working to remove a compressor.

Northampton Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Chandler, who was working for Speedrite, died from inhaling ammonia when there was a sudden leak of the gas.

Despite ruling that his death was accidental, the jury also concluded that the ammonia leak was preventable. During the course of the inquest the court was told that a risk assessment had not been carried out on an isolation valve before the explosion.

One of Mr Chandler’s colleagues, Stuart Wright, told the inquest that grey and white smoke had burst out of a valve in the pipework around the compressor after an explosion.

The jury was told Mr Chandler would have rapidly become unconscious.

Mr Chandler and his wife Laura had two daughters Ava, seven, and three-year-old Isabella.

Mrs Chandler, 33, has now called for improvements in health and safety standards.

Speaking after the hearing she said: “While our family has received some of the answers to the questions we have, listening to the details of how and why David died has been devastating beyond belief.

Prevent

“During the course of the inquest it became abundantly clear that there were numerous opportunities to prevent the incident which robbed me of my husband and Ava and Isabella of their daddy.

“The jury concluded that the leak was preventable and therefore so was David’s death.

“Although David is no longer with us he will always be part our family. Isabella and Ava will grow up knowing how much he loved them and how his family meant the world to him.

“We have today concluded another crucial process in this nightmare. I now urge the HSE to expedite its prosecution to enable us to continue to attempt to rebuild our lives.

“Our family would like to thank the emergency services for everything they did that day. We would also like to thank the assistant coroner Dr Barlow for the care, compassion and understanding that he has shown during the inquest.

"We also want to thank David’s colleagues who were working with him. They showed great bravery in giving evidence during the inquest, reliving what must have been a terrifying experience which lives with them to this day.”