DEATH OF A SHUNTER.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3490, 19 May 1920, Page 6

DEATH OF A SHUNTER.

CHITICISM OF DEPARTMENT.

AN INEXPERIEN CE D M AN.

DISCLOSURES AT INQUEST.

HAMILTON. Mzsy 17‘

The inquest into the death of George Black, a shunter, Nl’) \\";L:' f:lt:{.'ly =ll- - at the ,I;‘rank‘;'»:l railway sf:.l.tiun." on May 7, was cozlr:lAma:d by Mr H. A. Young, SAL. to-day. Mr E. E. Northcroft. appemcd for the relatives of the deceased 211132 the Amalgamated Society of R-.lilwa_y Sel'\".ults, and Mr Moore, traflic inspector, for the Railway De-A

partment. John Howard Hooton, shuntcr, said ‘the deceased was a relieving porter. On l\ln_v’ T, as witness was shunting some trucks, he saw the deceased riding on the side of one of the waggons, and as the wa'g‘gons passed a branch line he was crushed against one of the trucks in the branch line. The deceased was facing the Waggon that crushed him. Witness stopped the ‘train end went to.lhe deccased’s as-k

sistance. To Mr Non-thcroft: It was not wise

to give an inexperienced man a second shunter’s work. An experienced man would not have placed himself in the same position as the decea§ed did. Witness considcred the deceased was too ine:;pol'icneed, and witness complained of this to the stzztiomnaster and coaehing foreman, and said he did not. fgpgsider it fair to himself or to the de~

ceased. ' It, was admittecl ‘deceased had 13 months’ service."“ _ L T 9 “E hiagi‘"stl"ate: If the deceased had refused {B do the Work it "would probably have been regarded. «as insuba ordination, ‘and disciplinary ‘ action would have been taken. If his position was aifeeted he could have appealed to the Railsv-2:,’ Appeal Board; ‘ 'Mr Moore explained that if the deceased had said he was not competent he would not. have been given the Work, and nothing would ‘have hap—pened to him. ‘ The enginedriver and iirentan also gave, evidence. Dr. R. S. A. Graham, assistant surgeon at the Waikato Hospital, said the deceased was conscious when adniitted to the institution, and said he had been crushed in the railway yards. He c'oznplained of severe pain in the chest,‘ and 20 minutes later died. Death was due to injuries to the chest, the puncturing of a lung by a fractured rib, and shock. -l EFEICIENT MEN LEAVE SERVICE. Counsel said it was his intention to call evidence, as the Amalgamated_ Society of Railway Servants wanted"a proper sifting of the circumstances. The Society said the shunting work was e.§:tremely -hazardous. It was ciommon linovsledge that the Depart.ment had been losing men for some time past. Owing to the attitude" of "the Department etficient: men had left the service. Within the past 12 months 12 men, with experience ranging from three to sixteen years, had left, and there were now only two shunters with the niaxiinuxn service, whereas there were six twelve months ago; If the Department ,was losing eflicient men at that rate something should be done to protect these re maining. The society did not specially blame the authorities at Frankton, but sympathised with them in the unfortunfito position in which they were

platied. TllO society, continued counsel, also alleged that :1 large number of acci<len't.<: during the past‘ three years was due" to incompeter.-t. men. in this particular ease the third man with the most experience was given the least d:~.ngel'ou's work, whiie Black, who was quite unsuited for it, was given the d::n_.gel'ous work. The accident was fozfiesten by several of dc-cease<l’s col]ee3.guc~::. The deceased was (L married nmn, zmd may save feared to compkxlin. Counsel. subnlit.‘ed that it was not. entirely 9. fortuitous accident, and .':'.ho_uld have been t‘ore.seen by the Department and guarded rigninst. ACCID’E.\’TS DURING RECENT . YEARS. .

Fraxlk Everest, fil'st~gmdo shunter,_ with 15 years’ experience, said a se<;on«.'l grade -.shuntol' golle'l'a]ly had fopr or five ye9.l's’ c:~;perienco bofm'r: being appointed. The work at Franktofi was Very haz:u'dou.<. D(-ceased was a good worker. but inozgpcrioncod, and be had sent him to the fol'c-man 10 ~;>;vt

other work. _ To Mr _Moore: He had hozml of experienced men luwing accidc-n’rs, but not while he (witness) was shtlnting. Augustine Bradley, first-grade guard sziid thaf during the last three ye:-fr.< _t'here_ hadbeen 17 fatal and 182 non-f--tal zmcidents in the railway service through shunting; ;o_perat.i-ons. and 2359 accidents through all causes. During the past twelve months 12 men, with cervice ranging up to 16 years. had left the Frankton yards. Twelvg months ago there were six first-class ‘shunters, whereas ‘now? ‘there were only two. Less_experienced men Evert: replacing -thoée' who had left, De; ceased had asked him to get the foreman to let: another man replace him

as a second shunter. Witness was then first shuhter.

Charles Henry Menzies, first-grade shunter, said he had 16 years’ experience. Shunting wrok was very duhgerous for an inexperienced man. fu a gang ‘the third man"s work was not so dangeraus as that of second man. The Depart.nlent would not classify a man as second—gradc shuntor unless he had six or seven years’ e.\'pericn(ie. An experienced muh would 11(‘\'C1'h8.\'e been caught as Black was. Witness had \\'zll'lmd him to look out for himself.

COMMENTS BY THE CORONER. The col'onel- found that the deceased died from injuries accidentally received while shunting. He added:—--7 “It appears from the evidence that the deceased did not have sufi‘ieient experience to can-‘y out, with any degree of safety, the work of shunter. It is not clear whetller he could have ~refused fo do this work without ‘affecting his position in the service. The evidence shows it sTlol"rage of experienced shunters at Fnmkton, but it does not disclose what this due to, or whether it could reasonably have been prevented, No blame is attachable to fhose taking parr with the deceased in the shunting opera‘cions.”