Jacobs has uploaded Kate's Story at http://www.youtube.com/jacobsworldwide It tells the story of the fatality sustained by Kate's husband and the impact on her family etc. Please share with you family, friends and colleagues.

That rates as one of the greatest lessons to be learnt by all of us and I applaud that brave Lady for having the strength of character to share it.

I also applaud the willingness to share this story.

Extremely poignant. Peter, thanks for sharing this.

Bruce Report on inquest at http://www.lutontoday.co...-a-road-bridge-1-1098179 I've put the link to video on Linkedin ESHQ Elite, IOSH and IIRSM groups but dropping down the lists very quickly. Got some "likes" from US, Canada and UK.

Always in a good mood me Peter ;-) I've seen it only a few weeks back - excellent that it's been made freely available to all, as there were obvious Copyright issues originally that seem to have now been waved, all for the common good.

We should remember that the reason Victor is so happy is that he is dead after all - killed in a hit and run!!!!

Plastic or fibre tapes are pretty useless when working alone, however - they don't extend. I don't know anyone whose tape they keep kicking around in the car for quick checks of dimensions is a plastic one. I have a fibre tape, but the one that lives in the car boot is a metal one, and the two in my standard inspection toolkit are metal ones. I suspect the point is that he didn't regard it as working at OHLE - he wasn't on or near the line, he was in a place the general public could go. It's not an incident about using the wrong tools for the identified job, it's about the mindset not identifying the hazards - not properly identifying what the job entailed. If he didn't notice it was working around OHLE, he wouldn't think about what tools are required when working around OHLE.

I think you are correct that he probably didn’t know about or at least appreciate the OLE, and it was the other side of a wall after all. Fibre tapes generally require two people as you have to tension them in order to get an accurate reading, so yes in theory as you say, but I don’t feel even now two people would be sent. Even if discussing it would you think to warn “do not put the extended metal tape on top of the wall”. The video suggests that a full survey had been done (one could assume it picked up on the OLE, if work was going to be carried out in this area), So I would think he knew of the OLE. However knowing of the hazard and linking it to a foreseeable and appreciable risk, is another thing. All the slices of Swiss cheese lined up on that particular day. His natural reflexes took over when the tape moved, he probably could not help himself, but to try and catch the tape worth peanuts. If there had been a review of this small insignificant task, it might have been picked up, but do we review our working lives that closely and in that much detail. If we did would we ever get anything done. Two people to do the task one could do, yes there would have been someone to hold the tape while the other recorded, or even to get help once the incident took place. A different tape perhaps, but realistically the metal tapes are used predominately to do this (and anyway the danger is the other side of the wall). As Kate notes you should not die measuring a wall. The thing is that if this story is used to try and influence people in our own workplace, will the message just be lost or even work the wrong way. If realistically you would not actually do anything differently, then this could be a bad example to use. Could you come out of it looking like you are not practical? Chris

Tragic as it is, it is an accident in the truest sense for me. A sequence of events that would never have been considered in a million years. Or at least would have been described as patronising and OTT OSH advice or control. So is there a message for those outside Jacobs? Well I guess it is about recognising that we should all try to remember that ..danger lurks in unexpected places just as frequently as in those we know. ..simple jobs can be just as dangerous as complex ones. ..where formal written procedures require cross checks etc then it as well to always follow them as it gives an opportunity for that extra little word or check and that may save your life one day. .. in such jobs (constantly variable situations) we keep ourselves safe and we must never ever forget that however simple it all seems. Finally it seems most unlikely to me that work adjacent to OHLE would have been recognised as relevant in these circumstances. The work area was on the public side of the bridge and if the assumptions made by Jacobs are correct then the work method would not have anticipated any possible contact. Hence the headline to the story?

Good to see some debate. Edited quote from report on inquest. "Coroner Richard Hulett was concerned by the fact that the "site specific method statement" contained no mention of the risk from the power lines below. However, emails confirmed the engineer was aware of the risk from the lines"

Kate interviewed about Kate's Story at If you don't like spiders, start at about 6.10

Hi Peter Thanks for the Leighton Buzzard link - interesting. I recently discussed this incident with our OLE Manager who was unaware of it. Thinking outside the box, I am surprised that there is no sign on the bridge warning of OLE underneath and, the OLE is not protected in some way by say shroud. It's not inconceivable that someone without the wherewithal could drop accidentally a fishing line/hook whilst walking over the bridge with similar deadly consequences. Ray

Ken Thanks for posting the link. Gary Of course, that's what Kate wants and why it's been put on YouTube. Ray, the relevant Railway Group Standard indicates that the parapet should be high enough to mean that an accident of the type you suggest should not be possible without a deliberate act such as the angler casting their rod (i.e. not an accident) P