A WIDOW is to sue a Radcliffe paper mill for damages following the death of her husband in a factory floor tragedy.

John Ince was killed in May when he was pinned against a wall by a one-tonne bale of paper which had toppled from a forklift truck.

Mr Ince, who was aged 62 and married with one adult child, died less than an hour later from shock resulting from his injuries.

Following an inquest in Bury into the accident, East Lancashire Paper Mill bosses are to face a civil action from Mr Ince's widow, Patricia, who is being backed by GMPU union officials in her fight for compensation.

The Health and Safety Executive has investigated but has not yet decided whether the company should be prosecuted.

The inquest, held before a jury of eight people, heard how ELPM employees had expressed concerns that an "accident was waiting to happen" at the Church Street East site's stock preparation area due to the public and fellow staff members getting in the path of loading and transport machinery. "You had to be constantly vigilant, making sure no one was walking in front of the trucks," said Mr Barry Moss, who was operating the clamper truck, laden with two bales, at the time of the accident.

"The loads often impaired your visibility and you were always scared of hitting someone."

A bale fell from the forklift truck after Mr Moss had performed an emergency stop when he lost sight of Mr Ince, who was nearby.

The sudden stop dislodged the bale, which toppled from the machine and hit Mr Ince, crushing him against a low wall.

Mr Ince, of Redvales Road, Bury, slipped in and out of consciousness until paramedics arrived. At one point he stopped breathing and Mr Moss and a colleague, Mr John Marchant, tried to resuscitate him.

Mr Ince, who had worked for ELPM for 40 years, died while undergoing treatment at Bury General Hospital.

The former Lancashire Fusilier was a keen crown green bowler and golfer and was a member of the Stanley Conservative Club in Bury. The jury, which returned a verdict of accidental death, was told that since the accident the ELPM had made several safety changes in the way the stock preparation area was run.

Forklift trucks now carried only one bale of paper at a time.

Access to the site was monitored by marshals employed to ensure continued access by the public through legal rights of way.

The company is also seeking permission to completely close Church Street East to the public as a further safety measure.

After the inquest, Mr Dave Hargreaves, a GMPU official, confirmed that the union would continue to support Mrs Ince in her claim for damages against ELPM with assistance from the union's lawyers.

But he said: "It is essential that the company is successful with its proposals to close Church Street East, as evidence at this inquest has quite clearly shown the on-going danger to members of the public and employees while it remains open."

Mr Michael Nurse, principal inspector with the Health and Safety Executive, said that newly adopted safety measures were sufficient.

He added, however, that further discussions would take place with regard to prosecuting ELPM on health and safety matters.

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