An award-winning health and safety expert died when he plunged 30ft down a lift shaft he was inspecting, an inquest has heard.
James Merritt fell down the empty shaft of a passenger lift while working at a three-storey building in Warwick.
The father of two was inspecting three lifts, two passenger and one freight, at Telent Technologies Services, when he fell and suffered fatal head injuries, on 11 October last year.
Paramedics treated Merritt at the industrial park but he did not recover and died at the scene.
Assistant Coroner for Warwickshire, Delroy Henry, said : “He arrived a little after 8am to begin his work – he interacted with a maintenance worker.
“He unfortunately was discovered at the bottom of the lift pit where the passenger doors operate just before 1.30pm.
“He suffered major trauma to his head and later died at the scene.”
The inquest heard Merritt was one of the most highly qualified safety experts at Zurich Engineering. He had been an engineer for more than 20 years and excelled in health and safety exams, achieving 92% instead of the average 80%.
Dominic Dawson, chief engineer for the firm, said: “We carry out examinations of lifting equipment, pressure systems, all kinds of equipment and statutory examinations so people understand their equipment is safe – our examinations are legal requirements.”
