Cameron Taylor killed by landscape firm racking collapse

Cameron Taylor's family said he was a passionate and much-loved rugby player

A young worker at a landscaping firm was killed when racking collapsed on top of him, an inquest has heard.

Cameron Taylor, 20, had been working at Coombe and Sharpe Landscaping in Workington for about six months when he died on 15 January 2021.

His family said he was a keen and much-loved rugby player who enjoyed life.

Cumbria coroner Kirsty Gomersall said the three-day inquest would look at Mr Taylor's training and the way he had built the racking.

Cockermouth Coroner's Court heard Mr Taylor from Whitehaven was taken on as a labourer in June 2020 and was quickly seen as a "superstar", "asset" and "valued team member" who worked as assistant to the firm's yard manager Philip Duggan.

In a statement, the firm's co-founder Alan Sharpe said he was in the office at the Lillyhall industrial estate site at about 10:00 when Mr Duggan ran in saying there had been a "terrible accident" and Mr Taylor was "trapped" in a freight container being used as a wood store.

Coombe and Sharpe is based on the Lillyhall Industrial Estate in Workington

Mr Sharpe ran to the scene and found Mr Taylor buried beneath a pile of timber which police later said weighed half a tonne.

He said he pulled wood off Mr Taylor to free him, then performed CPR on the unconscious man until emergency services arrived minutes later.

Consultant pathologist Dr Joanne Leitch concluded Mr Taylor died as a result of asphyxiation caused by severe crush injuries to his chest.

Mr Sharpe said he was "devastated" by the death of Mr Taylor who was a "great lad" and "doing well".

Cameron Taylor, pictured right as a child with his older brother Brandon, loved a simple life, his family said

He sent his "sincere condolences" to Mr Taylor's family, adding his failure to "save" Mr Taylor would "live with me forever".

Officer manager Helen Sharpe said the firm's bosses were "profusely and profoundly sorry" about Mr Taylor's death, adding he was a "superstar" who had a "great future" at Coombe and Sharpe

She said the company was formed more than 30 years ago by Mr Sharpe and Paul Coombe and provided private landscaping and property maintenance services.

There were 23 employees at the time with Mr Taylor and Mr Duggan managing the yard.

The inquest heard Mr Taylor had built the rack for holding long-lengths of timber the day before the collapse under supervision by Mr Duggan, an "extremely competent" joiner with more than 30 years experience who was responsible for his assistant's training.

Mrs Sharpe said there had been no risk assessment carried out as building racking was not a normal activity for the company.

Mr Duggan said he had been building racking since college and he used his "own initiative", experience and skills to improve the method.

'Thirst for knowledge'

He said he made about 15 different styles of racking system during his "very good working career", and had experienced "very few" issues as he used "best quality fixings" and machines, adding he had never had a rack fail before.

Mr Duggan said he decided to build racking in the two storage cabins using his own design to improve storage at the yard.

He said it was "all new" to Mr Taylor but he was "very keen" and built the unit after watching Mr Duggan constructing another one first in a neighbouring cabin.

Mr Duggan said the shelves were built to each hold up to 30 lengths of wood weighing up to half a tonne.

The Health and Safety Executive said it found there were 111 planks weighing about two tonnes on the middle shelf which collapsed, which Mr Duggan said he was surprised about.

He said the frame was made from structural timber intended for such projects with multi-purpose screws of the appropriate size.

Cameron had played for Kells Amateur Rugby League Football Club since childhood

When asked by Miss Gomersall how he ensured shelves were not overloaded, Mr Duggan said "with experience and a bit of common sense".

Mr Duggan said he had trained four apprentices during his career and Mr Taylor was "probably the last", adding the 20-year-old was an "amazing young man" who was "keen to learn" and "thrived".

"I have never met such a young person with so much drive for life and thirst for knowledge," Mr Duggan said, adding: "You only had to show him once. If he was unsure he would ask. Everybody loved him."

Cameron Taylor was a keen rugby player

In a statement, Mr Taylor's grandfather David Allan said the young man was a passionate player for Kells Amateur Rugby League Football Club.

He said he had played rugby since the age of eight and despite his "slight build" he could "match anyone on the pitch", becoming a "superstar" club captain and leading them to numerous cup and league victories.

Mr Allan said his grandson was "very quiet and shy" as a child and "incredibly kind".

He was a "lovely natured lad", a "cheeky chap" with a dry sense of humour which would have his friends and family "in stitches", the inquest heard.

Mr Taylor studied electrical installation and plumbing before getting a job at the landscaping firm through a family friend.

Cameron Taylor was a successfull captain of his rugby side

Mr Allan said Mr Taylor enjoyed the job and company and was developing a career as a "brilliant tradesman".

Speaking to the BBC before the inquest, Mr Taylor's aunt Lauren Allan said they hoped his case would encourage young workers to speak up when unsure about anything and companies to create environments where people felt "comfortable" raising concerns, adding: "There should be no silly questions."

Miss Gomersall said the inquest was "not to attribute blame or fault" but rather to "establish the facts" about how Mr Taylor died.

The inquest continues.