24/7 Roller Shutter Repair Specialists Covering London & Kent
Before the recent loss of a roller shutter door repairman in Aberdeen, a similar incident occurred in 2016. Heidi Chalkley, a 40-year-old social worker, was caught in the mechanism of a roller shutter door in Cambridge while holding onto it as it opened. The company responsible for maintaining the door was later fined for not following proper maintenance procedures.
Ms Chalkley's tragic accident serves as a reminder of the key role regular maintenance and repairs play in keeping roller shutter doors safe. Keep reading for a timeline of events and to learn more about why maintenance is so essential.
In 2016, Ms Chalkley was walking through the parking area of Ruth Bagnall Court in Cambridge with her friend, Susan Gilmore. As they passed a rising shutter, Ms. Chalkley turned to Ms Gilmore and asked, "Have you ever held on to it as it goes up?"
"She then reached up, held the shutter and it lifted her off the ground," Ms Gilmore told an inquest. She said her friend "started to panic as her hands got caught in the barrier" and that her body appeared "folded".
Ms Gilmore called 999 for help, and a neighbour who saw Ms Chalkley hanging about 3 feet (90 cm) from the ground rushed over to try and support her. Sadly, despite their efforts, Ms Chalkley passed away at the scene.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation shortly after the incident to understand what went wrong. They found that the sensors at the top of the roller shutter had been incorrectly wired.
BS Graves (Electrical), based in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, had been responsible for maintaining the shutters at the flats since 2012. Although an inspection of the shutter had been carried out just one month before Ms Chalkley's accident, the safety sensors were not checked, and the fault remained unnoticed.
BS Graves (Electrical) admitted to breaching Health and Safety regulations. The company was fined £25,000 at Peterborough Magistrates' Court and ordered to pay £6,500 in costs, according to the HSE.
HSE inspector Graeme Warden said: "This tragic and distressing incident has had an untold impact on all those who knew Heidi.
"It could have been avoided if the company had ensured employees were suitably trained to inspect the doors and the functioning of the safety sensors."
This case is a reminder of how even small oversights in maintenance can lead to serious consequences.
At Quay Facilities, we're committed to preventing such accidents by keeping up with the latest safety regulations and providing our staff with comprehensive training in maintenance, risk assessment, and safe work procedures, as well as the correct use of specialised tools. Our priority is always to protect the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved in operating or maintaining our doors.
We send our heartfelt sympathies to Ms Chalkley's family, and we remain fully dedicated to making safety our number one focus in everything we do.
