The operators of one of Britain’s most iconic stately homes have been prosecuted and sentenced, after a butler was crushed to death in a lift accident.
On 12 July 2014, 48-year-old butler Arthur Mellar – who worked at Burghley House in Stamford, Lincolnshire – died when a luggage lift descended on him while he was trying to free an item of luggage which had become stuck.
When one of the bags became jammed, the lift stopped – Mr Mellar attempted to free the jammed bags, but the lift descended on him, trapping him between the lift cage and the banister of the stairwell housing the lift.
Peterborough Crown Court heard that the luggage lift was being used to lift guests’ bags from the ground floor to the second floor in the private area of Burghley House.
The premises have featured in films such as The Da Vinci Code and Pride and Prejudice.
The Health and Safety Executive prosecuting told the court that a competent lift engineer could and should have identified defects with the lift including that it should have been fitted with a slack rope detector.
A competent lift engineer could and should have identified defects with the lift
Burghley House Preservation Trust Limited pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
The company was fined £266,000 and ordered to pay costs of £16,863.
After the sentencing, HSE inspector Alison Ashworth said:
“Arthur Mellar was killed when a luggage lift descended on him while he was trying to free an item of luggage. This was a completely avoidable incident and Burghley House admitted its role in it, but of course that will be little comfort for Mr Mellar’s family."
“I would urge any business using lifts – particularly older lifts, such as the one in this case – to ensure correct measures are taken in relation to maintenance of lifts and that competent lift engineers are employed when necessary to identify defects.”
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