Section 1 of the Act sets out that an organisation is guilty of manslaughter, "if the way in which its activities are managed or organised causes a person's death.". [13] Staff and a policewoman trapped on a Metropolitan line platform were rescued by a train. It is estimated that more than 1billion was invested in safety measures in the immediate aftermath of Piper Alpha. It seems to me that the staff were totally unprepared to meet the disaster which happened that night and had to do the best they could in the circumstances. Indeed, many people believe that the possibility of such a disaster has diminished over the last 20 years. That generation will eventually be responsible for the safe operation and maintenance of offshore installations and, as such, they must appreciate the lessons from Piper Alpha and the importance of each of their individual contributions to health and safety. Your email address will not be shared with other organisations. The King's Cross fire, 1987 - fires that changed history This clearly was not a one-off event. Due to the history of fires on the Underground, the London Fire Brigade wrote to the Operations Director in August 1985, requesting that the Brigade be called immediately to any fire on the underground railway network. The flames heated the framework and decking of the Piccadilly line escalator, pre-heating the rest of the wooden staircase before bursting into flames. It was at about this point that firefighter Stewart Button and his colleagues arrived in the first fire engine to attend the scene. Additional links will be added as on-line services become available. 2023 BBC. But Mr Brody plans to spend Saturday at home with friends. Years in Business: 26. Business Started: 8/6/1996. Following a fire at Oxford Circus station in November 1984, the ban was extended to all Underground stations in February 1985. It was later revealed that a combination of wind movements caused by underground trains arriving and leaving created a 12mph wind, pushing air from the tunnels upwards and adding to the speed of the fire spreading. Formal inquests had simply returned 31 verdicts of accidental death. How do you know that your emergency response will be effective when its needed. 3 seconds ago. He condemned a complacent and ineffectual Underground management team as blinkered and dangerously self-sufficient. (Although smoking had been banned in all subsurface stations since a fire at Oxford Circus in 1984, people often lit cigarettes on their way up the escalators on their way out of the station.). On that fateful day 31 lives were lost and 100 people were injured. He/she at least maintains Tube etiquette and stands on the right-hand side, in case anybody wishes to overtake on the left. [16] The fire was declared out at 01:46 the following morning. There had been repeated internal and external reports on both the fire hazards, and the lack of training in emergency procedures including concerns raised by the London Fire Brigade. [5] The fire was beneath the escalator and was impossible to reach by use of a fire extinguisher. The ticket hall for the three tube lines was reopened in stages over four weeks. The preparation of a safety case is paid for by the operator, and said operator must also meet HSEs costs in assessing and approving it. Their response to the incident was uncoordinated and haphazard. This is where Harpur Hill Health and Safety Laboratory, a mile or two outside Buxton, came into its own, but even then, successive experiments hit the buffers. As well as the mainline railway stations above ground . Surprisingly, no organisational charts existed they had to be created for the investigation. "It's a shocking thing and every time something like that happens - whether it's Grenfell, or a terrorist incident - you think of all the people who are getting that news.". There had been no thought into planning for the response to a major fire, there was no emergency response plan and no evacuation plan. Lyme Bay disaster, 1993. The fire was under control at 9:48pm and was out at 01:46am on 19 November. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, NextSaturday, 18 November, marks the 30th anniversary of the Kings Cross fire. of Civil Engineering Canterbury University", "Report Denounces Staff Response to Deadly Fire; Top Men Quit", "Tube's only wooden escalator to carry last passengers", "Kings Cross Tragedy Means Safety First For London Underground", "London Underground (Safety Measures) Act 1991", "London Underground (King's Cross) Act 1993", "King's Cross St. Pancras Tube station doubles in size as state-of-the-art ticket hall opens", "Tottenham Court Road station's 500 million revamp completed as entrances open", "King's Cross fire: 'I was screaming in pain', "RMT calls for staffing cuts to be scrapped on 25th anniversary of Kings Cross fire", "King's Cross fire 25th anniversary marked", "King's Cross fire: Victims remembered at wreath-laying service", "King's Cross station - A Safety Accident Case Study", Fire Brigade operations London Fire Journal. Martin has over 30 years experience of applying human and organisational factors in high-hazard industries and complex systems. London Underground was unwilling to take advice from outside, such as from the London Fire Brigade or the Health and Safety Executive. The trench effect and eruptive wildfires: lessons from the King's Cross Underground disaster. Radio equipment used by British Transport Police to be compatible with those of the Brigade. When Mr Button and other colleagues found him in the tunnel they carried him out of the ticket hall, and paramedics tried to resuscitate him on the street above. They saw a fire about the size of a large cardboard box, and planned to fight it with a water jet and men with breathing apparatus. What is Corporate Manslaughter and How Does it Work? Brea, CA - Official Website | Official Website Of crucial importance, the emergency services were again criticised for having no radios or telephones below street level able to transmit a message more than 500 yards. kings cross fire 1987 corporate manslaughter. This system was not designed for occasional emergency use, but for regular nightly use, in order to wet the machinery, and dampen any of these regular smoulderings. [20], LFB Station Officer Colin Townsley was in charge of the first pump fire engine to arrive at the scene, and was in the ticket hall at the time of the flashover. The fire seemed minor until it suddenly increased in intensity, and shot a violent, prolonged tongue of fire, and billowing smoke, up into the ticket hall. Thirty-one men and women die in that fierce and fearsome flashover including the the firefighter in charge, station officer Colin J Townsley (who was awarded the George Medal posthumously). COMPREHENSIVE. design faults, human errors and unsafe working conditions, a report on involuntary manslaughter in 1996, three firms were convicted of corporate manslaughter in one week in May 2017, 137 were killed at work and 621,000 were injured, A History Of HIV And Human Rights In The UK, Appeal Begins For People Fighting For The 20 Uplift In Universal Credit Payments. Nobody was ever prosecuted after the disaster, not even for dereliction of duty. [46], London Underground was also recommended by the Fennell Report to investigate "passenger flow and congestion in stations and take remedial action". The Inquiry concluded that London Underground staff had not been adequately trained in emergency response or evacuation, and that there was little supervision. Read about our approach to external linking. Ivan Tarassenko, who had been on his way to Notting Hill for a band rehearsal, would be among the 31 people who perished in the blaze. 3075 E Imperial Hwy Ste 200, Brea, CA 92821-6753. Something had to change. At Soho Fire Station, Station Officer Colin Townsley's space remains empty in memory of the fallen firefighter and the members of the public who lost their lives that terrible day. Recommendations from internal inquiries into accidents either did not reach the right people or were not acted on or seen through. After all, the pit of that escalator has probably never been cleaned during its 44-year life. Organisationscan apply to become incorporated in the UK by registering with the Government. The safety case must be sent to the HSE and approved at least six months before operations commence. Sign up here Fiona Dolman, Director for Transformation, Mostaque Ahmed, Director of Corporate Services, Protecting historical buildings and heritage in London, Community Engagement - your London Fire Brigade, Our role during the funeral of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, #SprinklersHit - Contact your MP about sprinklers, Breathing apparatus (BA) cylinder testing, Urban Search and Rescue & International Search and Rescue, Environmental Information Regulations searches, Your London Fire Brigade: our plan for 2023-29, Portable heaters, gas fires and open fires, Fire Risk Assessments your responsibilities, Large landlords LAs, social landlords and private blocks, Living above business premises fire safety guide, Fire safety in heritage and historical buildings, Emergency Response and Salvage Plans for heritage buildings, Sending floor and building plans Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, Fire retardant bedding and portable protective systems, London Fire Brigade at Chelsea Flower Show, Supporting Fire Cadets sponsors and partners. kings cross fire 1987 corporate manslaughter However, they were not referred to as fires, but were called smoulderings, partly so as not to alert or concern senior management. [24], Access to the Northern line platforms was indirect, its escalators connecting with the Piccadilly line. The firefighters underground had no means of communicating with their colleagues on the surface. Learn more. Unfortunately that wasnt the case. How did London Underground get to a position where fires were considered to be inevitable, but not managed? 6. 1987 fire in King's Cross St Pancras tube station, London, England, A police car, three fire engines and an ambulance outside King's Cross. 5 reasons we should restore historical buildings, GUEST ARTICLE: Five tips for designing a high end bathroom without costing too much. Many passengers escaped using an alternative escalator and all trains had been instructed not to stop at the station, however, the ticket hall was still busy with the last of the evening's rush hour crowd when the fireball erupted from the stairwell. The fire was a tragedy and my thoughts are with the friends, families and loved ones of all those who lost their lives. 1987: 'There but for the grace of God go I'. Technically, organisations could face the same manslaughter charges as individuals, but it was tricky: the prosecution would first have to show that a senior individual within it, who embodied the company, was guilty of the offence. A publicinquiry by Sir Desmond Fennell published in November 1988, made 157 recommendations including: More than 150 firefighters and 30 fire engines were called to a blaze at King's Cross station at on the evening of 18 November 1987. Kings Cross itself was a complex intersection of five Underground and three Intercity lines, across five levels below ground. Management considered fires to be inevitable. [56], The Nick Lowe song "Who Was That Man?" Nevertheless, his Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, was prepared to approach a little-known QC, Desmond Fennell, to ask him to chair the ensuing public inquiry, an inquiry enabled by the 1871 Railway Act. Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus, Holborn and London Bridge Tube Stations, along with the rebuilt Kings Cross, were promised radical improvements to cope with increased passenger flows. Computer modelling has helped inform fire training since and influenced how Wrightstyle mitigates against threats caused by fire. The offence of corporate manslaughter (known as corporate homicide in Scotland) allows a corporation to be punished for conduct that leads to a persons death. All appeals to potential relatives Fallon had four daughters failed. This disaster resonates with me personally. The Brigade was called at 2215 and the fire was under control by 2254. Its a little after rush hour on that day; Christmas shopping has begun. Outside appointments were rare. Chartered Human Factors Professional She had no idea her 25-year-old brother Ivan, who she describes as a "laid-back, happy-go-lucky chap", was inside the Tube station. No products in the cart. Most of the fatalities occurred when a flashover engulfed the ticket hall at the top of the escalators (hot air ignited and produced a ball of fire). The previous prescriptive approach to health and safety was thought to have conditioned people to think of health and safety as a matter of compliance rather than of taking responsibility and assessing tasks on their merits. Investigators were able to replicate that dreadful quarter-hour in its entirety, including the sudden release of poisonous gases within the highly restricted space of an Underground station. Almost immediately after the Kings Cross disaster, smoking was scheduled for prohibition everywhere on the Underground, something that entered into law as part of a brace of fire safety regulations in 1989. The network carried two and a half million passengers every weekday. [34] Experiments were conducted with a one-third-scale replica of the escalator built at the UK's Health and Safety Executive site at Buxton. Regardless of the industry, the human and organisational factors that set people up to fail are the same, and in the last 30 years the organisational causes of the Kings Cross Fire have been repeated in events across many different industries. The King's Cross fire claimed the lives of 31 people including a senior ranked firefighter and seriously injured many more at King's Cross station. But on 18 November 1987 that would change, as a flashover - a sudden and rapid spread of fire caused by smoke or fumes igniting - claimed the lives of 31 people at King's Cross. In my view they were fundamentally in error in their approach. [25], A public inquiry into the incident was initiated by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. A corporation, is simply a company or group of people who are authorised to act as a single entity, and are recognised as such in law. It is unfortunate that this was not the pervading view in the organisation, otherwise the disaster may have been averted. What is Corporate Manslaughter and How Does it Work? Some industry leaders have even been known to indicate that many of the incidents since Piper Alpha could have led to multiple fatalities on a similar scale had sheer luck not prevented such an escalation. In other words, the absence of accidents is a negative measure largely dependent on luck, while the identification then prompt elimination or control of hazards is a positive step and is essential to the discharge of our duties under current legislation, Senior Personnel Manager (Operations), London Underground, August 1987. A review of the Brigade's Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The King's Cross fire was a fire in 1987 at a London Underground station with 31 fatalities, after a fire under a wooden escalator suddenly spread into the underground ticket hall in a flashover.. However, no public address system is working and worried passengers are still using the Victoria up escalator, only a matter of yards away. sony hdr as200v as webcam; what does john 3:36 mean; unincorporated jefferson county, alabama map; Blog Post Title February 26, 2018. Above the ground, Sophie Tarassenko had been in the area meeting a friend when she saw the fire engines. Godfrey Holmes returns to the scene of the . However, holding corporations to account has not been easy. Disasters like the Kings Cross Fire are foreseeable; complacency and assumptions can kill; you get the system that you design and staff have to be prepared to respond, should the worst happen. Hundreds of firefightersand members of the public paid tribute to fallen comrade Colin Townsley who died in the disaster. [17] On a television program about the fire, an official described King's Cross underground station's layout as "an efficient furnace". Such investigations will be lengthy, intrusive and damaging to businesses. There was considerable delay before staff notified Station management. "When a train started passing through, all you could do was lie flat on the floor, cover your ears, and just hang on and wait for it to pass.". Clearly, staff were totally unprepared to meet the disaster, but several aspects of the system enabled the disaster to occur: Finally, the Inquiry found the organisation to be focused on financial matters at the expense of everything else. All those trains had recently called at Kings Cross, unwittingly to allow some of the suicide bombers to board. "The problem we faced was that the St Pancras entrance seemed to be directly fed up from the Piccadilly Line escalators," Mr Button said. Survivors and victims' families will attend memorial events this weekend. The inquiry determined that the fire had been started by a lit match being dropped onto the escalator. He made no fewer than 157 recommendations: everything from sprinklers and loud fire alarms to speedier evacuation procedures; from the installation of less flammable metal escalators to the appointment of safety officers charged specifically with fire prevention. All of this took just 22 minutes the scale of the disaster was unprecedented. London Thames News, originally broadcast on 10 November 1988, following the launch of the Fennell report into the Kings Cross disaster: London BBC News, broadcast 30 years after the Kings Cross Fire: By entering your email you will be notified of any new articles on humanfactors101.com. Most of the fatalities occurred when a flashover engulfed the ticket hall at the top of the escalators (hot air ignited and produced a . The fire, which had actually begun beneath Escalator Four around a quarter of an hour earlier, at about 19:30 GMT, is suspected to have been caused by a match discarded by a passenger. Today, firefighters' clothing is made of the lightest, most protective materials possible, London Fire Brigade said. The report on the inquiry resulted in resignations of senior management in both London Underground and London Regional Transport and led to the introduction of new fire safety regulations. At the time of this fire, 80% of the system was more than 70 years old. Time was running out to establish the cause of the conflagration that fateful November evening in 1987 an essential but by no means simple task. After much wrangling, Minta was grudgingly awarded 150,000, dwindling to 28,000 after he paid off his lawyers. (Twenty years later, following several suicide bombs on London Underground trains, the same communications issues were raised). The musician, whose only errand that day was to purchase a few vinyl records, suffered horrific burns after his clothes set alight, and was left with terrible scarring and no employment prospects despite his 30 trips to the operating theatre. Officers of the British Transport Police (BTP) and station staff went to investigate and on confirming the fire one of the policemen went to the surface to radio for the London Fire Brigade (LFB),[4] which sent four fire appliances and a turntable ladder at 19:36. [33] A model of King's Cross station was built at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment using computer simulation software; this showed the flames lying down along the floor of the escalator rather than burning vertically before producing a jet of flame into the ticket hall. Dozens of firms `escape corporate killings charges' - The Independent Leadership had little interest in learning from previous serious fires the failure to learn from these events was a significant factor in the 1987 disaster. In the end, it was the sheer fluke that Fallon had undergone a craniotomy at London Royal Hospital, involving a distinct imported surgical clip, that allowed his bulging, puzzling police file to be closed. As a result of the act, any workplace incident in the UK (including offshore installations) leading to a fatality is likely to result in a corporate manslaughter (or corporate homicide) investigation.