TWO FIRMS GUILTY OVER COACH DRIVER KILLED BY FALLING WINDOW

St James Group Ltd and specialist contractors Lindner Prater Ltd have been found guilty of health and safety breaches at Inner London Crown Court following the death of coach driver Mick Ferris in October 2018. Ferris died when a 130kg window pane fell 300 feet from a penthouse flat at The Corniche tower block on Albert Embankment in central London. Both firms were convicted of failing to discharge a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and will be sentenced on 24 September.

The court heard that a window panel had previously fallen from the same development in August 2017, yet the design was not substantially changed as a result. The final design of the window opened outwards and was held in place by a single metal restrictor, meaning it could be dislodged by wind. St James Group had assumed the role of principal designer in 2015 and held responsibility for coordinating health and safety matters. Construction workers were instructed not to open the windows, and small written warnings were placed next to them for residents. The design was only revisited after Ferris's death. Foster + Partners, the architecture firm responsible for the initial designs, and engineering consultants Wintech Ltd were cleared of the same charges.

The Health and Safety Executive stated the convictions provide comfort to Ferris's family. The prosecution argued during trial that it was reasonably practicable for the designers to create a window that would not fall from the building regularly. The case highlighted failures to act on known risks and to redesign the system after the first incident occurred.