Safety warning after woman electrocuted in farm caravan

Farmers are being warned about the dangers of poor electrical safety after a woman was electrocuted and killed in a farm caravan.

Deana Simpson, 40, died after being electrocuted as she prepared food in the static caravan where she lived at Willoughby Fields Farm, in Willoughby, near Rugby, Warwickshire.

She was found collapsed by the cooker by her partner, James Atkins, with whom she shared the caravan on the farm owned by his father, Trevor Atkins. James also received an electric shock when he touched the cooker, but he survived.

Deana Simpson © Warwickshire Police

See also: Safe farms, safe staff and visitors – a guide to legislation

‘Obvious danger’

Five days after the incident in August 2017, a qualified electrician examined the electrical installation at the scene and found it was in a poor and dangerous condition. There were poor and incorrect connections and inadequate earthing, and no protective devices were in place as required by manufacturer’s instructions. This meant there was “obvious” potential for an electric shock.

During the investigation, led by Warwickshire Police and assisted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), it was established that the generator had been modified several weeks earlier by James Atkins, who was not a qualified electrician.

He had fitted a new inverter to convert power, despite being told the work needed to be done by a qualified electrician.

Trevor Atkins had been complicit with the work his son had carried out on his property and, as an employer, had a duty to maintain the electrical system relating to the caravan to ensure it was not dangerous.

James Atkins, 43, had denied the manslaughter of Ms Simpson by gross negligence, but was found guilty following a trial at Warwick Crown Court. He was jailed for six-and-a-half years.

Trevor Atkins, 72, of Station Road, Lilbourne, near Rugby, was sentenced to 10 months in prison suspended for two years after he pleaded guilty during the trial to two breaches of health and safety regulations at Willoughby Fields Farm.

Death ‘completely avoidable’

In a statement, Ms Simpson’s daughter, Chloe told the court that the whole foundation of her life “had crumbled” following her mother’s death. Her family paid tribute to the “beautiful mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, auntie, niece and cousin”.

Following the ruling, Amy Kalay, HM principal inspector of health and safety, who managed HSE’s involvement in the case, said it highlighted the severe risks that can arise when farm equipment and buildings are poorly maintained.

Ms Kalay said: “This was a completely avoidable and foreseeable incident. Deana was killed because work on an electrical system hadn’t been done by a professional electrician with the right skills and experience.”