Undertaker crushed to death by scissor lift used to move dead bodies
An undertaker was crushed to death by a lift used to move dead bodies, an inquest heard.
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Funeral administrator Sally Blundell, 58, had been working alone at the East of England Co-op Funeral Services branch in Swaffham, Norfolk, on 1 December 2023.
She was found dead by a colleague in the back room of the funeral parlour after concerns were raised by a family who turned up for an appointment, but found no staff.
Mrs Blundell's medical cause of death was recorded as "contusion and compression of the chest by an external object".
Stephen Kemp, who works at the Dereham branch turned up at the Swaffham branch after being alerted by a phone call from a customer.
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Dawn Salisbury, who had made arrangements to see a deceased relative, became concerned when there were no staff at the funeral parlour for her 11am appointment.
In a statement, she said that "after about 10 minutes I decided to ring the landline number for that branch".
She was passed on to the Swaffham branch on the phone.
Mr Kemp turned up at the funeral parlour and found Mrs Blundell dead. He said in a statement that a “hydraulic hoist had come down on her body and was crushing her over the chest area.”
A police investigation was launched but it was later taken over by the council.
Paul Bradbury, senior food and safety officer, found that the 200kg hydraulic scissor lift had issues including that “the return spring on the control handle wasn't fully operating and didn't close the operating valve without manual assistance".
He also noted that "the design of the handle means in some positions it can be knocked against a solid object and advanced".
The lift, manufactured in 2018, was checked in October 2023, with no defects identified.
The inquest continues.