Workplace Accident Lawyers Secure Answers For Loved Ones Nine Years After Man Suffered Injuries Which Led To His Death

A dad-of-two died as a result of serious chemical burns he suffered at work four years earlier, an inquest has concluded.

Graham Faulkner’s family have now spoken for the first time about their “devastating” loss and the need to protect workers after lawyers helped end their nine-year wait for answers.

Graham, from Warrington, was working for Industrial Chemicals Limited (ICL) at their West Thurrock site in Essex in October 2015 when he came into contact with a liquid containing caustic soda, which caused burns to his feet. 

The safety permit that Graham had been given by his employer did not state that he should wear rubber safety boots to carry out the work, the hearing was told. Instead he was wearing standard safety boots.

Man diagnosed with sepsis linked to burns

Shortly afterwards, Graham developed flu-like symptoms. His condition deteriorated and he was admitted to hospital. He was diagnosed with sepsis linked to his burns.

After developing complications, Graham was left quadriplegic, with ongoing respiratory problems and he spent 18 months in hospital. Once discharged he continued to suffer with ongoing respiratory symptoms and was frequently readmitted to hospital.

He died in hospital in March 2019 during treatment for pneumonia, aged 64.

Following his death, Graham’s family, including his wife Valerie, 66, instructed specialist workplace accident lawyers to investigate and help them obtain answers.

Valerie has now joined her legal team in warning of the dangers of health and safety lapses at work. It comes after an inquest at Cheshire Coroner’s Court concluded that Graham died from pneumonia with respiratory failure, arising from the chemical burns he suffered at work years previously.

Coroner calls for action to prevent future deaths

Coroner Elizabeth Wheeler said she would now issue a prevention of future deaths report calling on the Health and Safety Executive to set out what measure it would take to prevent future deaths.

It comes after the inquest was told that the HSE declined to investigate the incident and when police tried to investigate following Graham’s death there was insufficient evidence.

Harriet Trail is a specialist workplace accident lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Graham’s loved ones.

Expert Opinion

“Understandably, coming to terms with losing Graham in the way that they did continues to be incredibly difficult for his family, in particular, Valerie.

“Graham’s loved ones have spent the last five years having many questions regarding his death and the last nine years with questions about how he was injured. While nothing will make up for their suffering, we’re pleased to have at least been able to provide them with the answers they deserve.

“Sadly, the inquest has identified issues in the working conditions Graham faced. Health and safety needs to be the fundamental priority in all workplaces and it’s now vital that lessons are learned to help prevent others from going through what Graham did.

“It’s also important that any incidents are investigated thoroughly. We therefore welcome the Coroner’s decision to issue a Prevention of Future Deaths report.

“We continue to support Graham’s family at this difficult time.” Harriet Trail

Workplace injury: Graham's story

It is believed that Graham was exposed to caustic soda on 15 October 2015. The inquest was told that before starting the task at 11am, Graham had been provided with a Permit To Work form, setting out the Personal Protective Equipment that he was required to wear to complete a task. The Jury concluded that this Permit to Work did not specify that Graham should wear rubber safety boots to carry out the work required.   He had been wearing standard safety boots when he was exposed to the caustic soda.

The jury concluded that Graham’s death was “contributed to by failures in the administration and management of the Permit To Work process and a lack of challenge around the use of PPE.”

A jury returned a narrative conclusion.

An ICL representative gave evidence that, since Graham’s death, a number of improvements have been made to its West Thurrock site. 

Devastated widow pays tribute to husband

Valerie said after the hearing: “Before his injury, Graham was never really one to complain about feeling ill.  So when he asked me to make him a GP appointment, I knew something wasn’t right, but not for one minute did I ever expect his condition to deteriorate as it did.

“The last years of Graham’s life were very tough on him.  He lost all of his independence and had to be cared for, which he struggled to accept.  It was also awful for us to have to watch him get worse and know that we couldn’t do anything to help.

“I’d give anything to have Graham back, so he could see his granddaughter grow up and for us to carry on with the rest of our lives, enjoying the plans we made. It devastates me that it’s no longer possible and that’s down to his workplace.

“Grieving for him has been made worse by the time that it’s taken for us to get any answers over what happened to him.  I’m relieved that we finally have these now and that the Coroner has listened to our concerns and is making sure that improvements are made to prevent this from happening to anyone else.

“Sadly, however, this won’t bring Graham back and I don’t think I’ll ever come to terms with that.”

Find out more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling workplace accident and injury cases.  Alternatively, to speak to an expert contact us or call 0370 1500 100.