Mother electrocuted after mopping up in kitchen, inquest rules

taken from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8972104/Mother-electrocuted-after-mopping-up-in-kitchen-inquest-rules.html

A mother, Emma Shaw, died following a catalogue of blunders by workmen at her home which resulted in her being electrocuted while mopping up water.

The 22 year-old was killed while cleaning her kitchen floor after wiring was given the all clear by the friend of an unqualified electrician.

The mother-of-one died following a series of blunders by the workmen at her flat in West Bromwich, West Mids, just a fortnight before Christmas.

An inquest was told that just moments before dying she had texted her boyfriend saying "the electric's sparking".

A screw fixing plasterboard had been driven through a cable into live wires on December 14, 2007, the inquest heard. The mistakes caused the electrics to spark when the boiler leaked.
The jury was told the electrics were installed by Anchor Electrical and Building Services, Staffs, the previous year.

They heard how work on the boiler was "not adequate" and criticised its "poor layout and poor design".
They heard that Chris Tomkins had filled out four safety documents that were also full of errors, but had been checked by his supervisor Neil Hoult.

This included the unqualified electrician's friend Chris Tomkins, testing and approving the wiring at the flat.
Her son Brayden, then aged 23 months, had been shut in the living room while his mother went to tend the boiler in a hallway cupboard.

Her boyfriend Andy Cross, 29, told the week long hearing that he had panicked when he got the text message.

"I tried to call her but got no answer," he said. I got home at about noon and I saw her legs sticking out of the cupboard.

"I shook her a few times and I knew straight away there was something wrong."

The jury, sitting at Smethwick Council House, West Mids, concluded she had been unlawfully killed, with the company found to have failed to comply with health and safety standards.

They found that "the failure to report a known hazard of trapping cables and not making tradesmen aware of this fact."

They ruled that testing on the flat was "not carried out to a professional standard if at all".

Robin Balmain, the Black Country coroner, said he would write to the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting, a voluntary regulatory body. "The dangers of that ought to be obvious to anybody," he said.

On Wednesday the family of Miss Shaw, who worked at Asda, called for the company to be prosecuted.
Miss Shaw had hoped to join the RAF but had failed a medical because she had eczema, and was on a two-year waiting list for an appeal. Her son is now five and being cared for by Mr Cross.

Her mother Diane Potter, 46, of West Bromwich, said the ruling was the first step in getting justice for her daughter.

Speaking after the hearing, she said: "It is disgusting that this can happen to someone. If the electrics had been fitted and tested properly we wouldn't be here today, and Emma would still be with us, and Brayden would still have his mum.

"I'm still angry and upset about the building firm. If they had done their job properly we wouldn't be here now."

Mr Cross added: "We just hope the Crown Prosecution Service can take this forward.
"Times is healer but I still see visions of her. Sometimes when I get up in the morning, the first thing I think about is her."

Her father Paul Shaw, 49, who now lives in Ireland with his second wife Kathleen, said: "Emma was bright and cheerful – very sure of herself. She was very lovable.

"It's up to the CPS whether they proceed with criminal court action. We are also seeking suitable compensation for Brayden."

The CPS has said there was not enough evidence to successfully prosecute anyone.

Ruth Barber, representing the Health and Safety Executive, confirmed new paperwork would be passed to the CPS to gauge whether the company face prosecution.

The company did not comment.