Coroner gives The Range bosses eight weeks to respond after man's death following escalator accident
A coroner is giving a new Telford store 56 days to tell him what changes they have made following the death of an 82-year-old man who had fallen while using an escalator.
An inquest was told that retired civil engineer John Neil Shenton, from Madeley, fell during a visit with his son Craig to The Range store at Forge Retail Park on April 17.
He was taken to A&E at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital after the incident. He was seen by medics and discharged, with advice to return if things got worse. His condition deteriorated, and he went back the next day before dying on April 21.
Senior Shropshire Coroner John Ellery heard that the lift at the shop was not working and Mr Shenton, who was using a stick and browsing for everyday items, decided to go to the store's first floor on the escalator while his wife did not want to.
Mr Shenton's son, Craig, said at the inquest on Tuesday that he heard his father's "chilling scream" as he fell. He thought that the escalator had been "moving quickly" and that was backed up by statements from the store's manager.
But Mr Ellery, sitting at the Coroner's Court at Shirehall, in Shrewsbury, said the escalator had been checked and recorded as working normally by an environmental health officer at Telford & Wrekin Council and the manufacturer, KONE.
Craig Shenton said a member of the public had stood his father back up after the fall and he had tried to track that person down by posting on social media in order to thank them.
"At least 10 people all said how quickly the escalators seemed and how steep they are, and the store manager said they were going too fast and they needed to slow down as an action to take," he said.
His father had told him that the escalator, installed at the store on April 6, 2023, had been moving too fast and he missed his footing.
Mr Ellery verified that by checking the reports submitted to the inquest. He also heard that store staff could not control the speed of the escalator.
An inspection of the escalator by the Health and Safety Executive on May 9, 2023 found that it had a 35 degree incline, which was the maximum allowable.
This, Mr Ellery was told, meant it "can be perceived to be travelling faster than it is."
It had been found to be moving at 0.5 metres per second which was the maximum speed it was allowed to move at.
Mr Ellery heard that there was evidence that the risks to vulnerable people had not been fully considered.
And a safety report recommended that the risks to vulnerable people needed to be assessed if the lift was not in use. It also recommended recording daily checks on illumination of the area and on the training of staff.
The Range health and safety manager, Andrew Hewson, told Mr Ellery and the family that he was at the inquest to "pay respects to the family."
But he added that no-one at the store had seen the report, which the family had received.
"No-one at The Range has seen the report," he said.
Mr Ellery said he had been hoping that Mr Hewson would be able to tell him what actions The Range had taken. But because that did not happen he said he would issue a Regulation 28 report to The Range to prevent future deaths.
"The escalator was working within its operational remit and was safe for use by the non-vulnerable," he said. But he said extra measures were identified as being needed for the vulnerable.
He heard that most accidents on escalators involve children and the elderly.
Mr Ellery reached a conclusion that Mr Shenton's death was "accidental". The cause of death was recorded as bronchopneumonia which had been caused by broken ribs.
He added: "The company has 56 days to tell me what the company is doing about it."
The Range has been asked for comment.