An 18-year-old apprentice joiner died instantly and alone after being crushed by a stack of unsecured wooden boards while working on a house refurbishment in Bangor, North Wales, a court has heard.
Fatal Incident at Deiniol Road Property
Chloe Bidwell, from Trearddur Bay, Anglesey, was working alone at a residential property on Deiniol Road on December 20, 2023. A pile of loose timber panels, each weighing up to 30kg, collapsed onto her. Her remains were discovered after she failed to return home and did not respond to messages.
Llandudno Magistrates Court heard that 28 boards had been left upright and unfastened against an interior wall. It is believed Miss Bidwell may have been trying to remove a plywood panel when several boards toppled, crushing her neck and causing fatal injuries.
Health and Safety Failures
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Varcity Living Limited, the property management company employing Miss Bidwell, failed to establish safe working practices and did not provide adequate information, instruction, training, or supervision. Director David Horrocks was held responsible for these shortcomings.
Inspectors uncovered insufficient site oversight, no lone working policy, no proper procedure for storing board materials, and inadequate risk assessment before the incident.
Court Penalties
Varcity Living Limited, of High Street, Bangor, pleaded guilty to breaching sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £10,080 in prosecution costs.
David Horrocks, of Felinheli, admitted breaching section 37 of the same Act. He received a 26-week prison sentence suspended for two years and was ordered to pay £7,886 in costs.
Family's Grief and Appeal
Speaking after sentencing, Chloe's mother, Clare Stephenson-Brown, said: “Chloe was only 18, full of life, energy, and determination. She had so many talents and dreams: a skilled joiner, a rugby player, a surfer, a skydiver, and a young woman who was about to travel the world and begin her journey towards becoming a firefighter. She was wise beyond her years, brave, and incredibly grounded.”
She added: “Chloe died instantly and alone. The fact that she was by herself in those final moments is something that causes us unbearable pain and something we will carry forever. Knowing how full of life she was and how much she had yet to experience makes her loss impossible to accept.”
Ms Stephenson-Brown urged employers: “We just hope that those responsible truly understand the enormity of what has happened, not only the loss of Chloe's life but the devastation caused to her family, her friends, and her community. We urge employers to look beyond compliance and truly consider the responsibility they hold for the lives in their care. Safety must be meaningful in practice, ensuring risks are properly managed, lone working is safe, and that everyone who goes to work returns home.”
HSE Statement
HSE inspector Rachael Newman said: “The tragedy of Chloe's death is made all the more jarring because it was so wholly avoidable. Apprentices should not be working alone on a construction site, and Chloe died in circumstances which should never have been able to happen. Chloe's employer had no safe storage system in place for the dangerously heavy boards which were stacked upright and completely unsecured. Furthermore, they had failed to provide the necessary information, instruction, training, and supervision for their young apprentice.”
She concluded: “Today's result cannot bring Chloe back, but we hope the sentence handed down brings some solace to her family, whose lives carry on without her.”
