Site manager jailed for stacked window frames horror

Amanda Telfer, 43, died while walking past a construction site in Hanover Square, London, on 30th August 2012. She was hit by three large unsecured window frames, each weighing 655kg, that were stacked upright and unsecurely.

The window frames – one around 3.2 metres square and two approximately 3.3m x 1.8m – had been delivered the previous day as scheduled but couldn't be fitted immediately due to other delays on site. They were left on the pavement overnight, leaning against the building, almost vertically. No efforts were made to secure them and no barrier placed around them.

As Amanda Telfer walked past, it is believed a door in the building blew open in the wind, hitting the frames and causing them to topple. A worker inside tried to grab them but they fell, crushing Amanda underneath. She died at the scene.

Kelvin Adsett, 64, was responsible for placement of the frames and the failure to secure them. He has been sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment after being found guilty of manslaughter last month following a trial at the Central Criminal Court.

IS Europe Ltd, the company which employed Kevin Adsett, was found guilty of health and safety charges. It would have been fined £100,000 but it had only £250 left in its bank account after falling dormant.

Damian Lakin-Hall, 50, was the site manager employed by Westgreen Construction. He was sentenced to a six month prison sentence suspended for two years after he was found guilty of failing to take reasonable care for health and safety.

Graham Partridge, reviewing lawyer for the London Crown Prosecution Service, said: "If Kelvin Adsett, Damian Lakin-Hall and IS Europe had complied with their legal responsibilities, Amanda Telfer would not have died. They were delivering and storing large, very heavy window frames and should have known that, unsecured, they presented a serious danger to the public on what was a windy day.

"The CPS case was that the defendants' conduct was so bad that those involved bore criminal responsibility for Ms Telfer's tragic death. We hope that these convictions will bring some sense of justice for her family."

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