Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2021

Prevention of Future Deaths report 2021-0108

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2021-0108, written 14 Apr 2021. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report14 Apr 2021
Reference2021-0108
CoronerKevin McLoughlin
Coroner areaWest Yorkshire (East)
CategoryOther related deaths
Sourcejudiciary.uk record · original PDF
Responses published1

The report

Text recovered by OCR from a scanned PDF. OCR is imperfect: check anything you rely on against the source PDF. Reproduced verbatim, including the scan's own layout.

ANNEX A

REGULATION 28: REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS (1)

REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS
THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO:
1. The Rt. Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP

Secretary of State
Dept. for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

1 | CORONER

| am Kevin McLoughlin, Senior Coroner, for the Coroner area of West Yorkshire (East)

2 | CORONER’S LEGAL POWERS

| make this report under paragraph 7, Schedule 5, of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009
and regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013.

3 | INVESTIGATION and INQUEST

On 29 December 2017 | commenced an investigation into the death of Richard John
Dyson aged 38 and Simon Brian Midgley aged 36. The investigation concluded at the
end of the Inquest on 14 April 2021. The conclusion of the Inquests was that both men
were unlawfully killed as a result of:

1(a) Inhalation of smoke and fire gases
1(b) Hote! Fire

4 | CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH

Mr Dyson and Mr Midgley were guests staying at the Cameron House Hotel, Loch
Lomond on the weekend of 16-18 December 2017. Around 6.30 am on Monday 18
December 2017 a fire broke out in the hotel. The two men were found in an
unresponsive condition after 8 am by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus. They
were pronounced dead later that morning.

5 | CORONER’S CONCERNS

During the course of the Inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern. tn
my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken. in the
circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you.

The MATTERS OF CONCERN are as follows. —

(1) Every hotel should have a readily accessible and accurate list of the guests and staff
members in the establishment on a particular night. In an emergency situation it is
imperative that the Fire and Rescue Service are provided with accurate information
speedily in case anyone remains trapped in the building. It is a situation where every
second counts.

(2) Itis foreseeable that in the stressful atmosphere of an emergency, people may
hesitate or make mistakes. In this case, forgetting to take the guest list as the building
was evacuated. In consequence, although the Fire and Rescue Service had arrived at
the hotel by 6.51 am, it was not until sometime after 8am that it was established two

guests were missing. Critical time was lost before rescue efforts began to find them.
The precise times cannot be provided as the Procurator Fiscal was not willing to
disclose copies of witness statements or reports on the ground they were confidential.

(3) To avoid needless impediments to rescue efforts, it would be prudent for hotels to
have an electronic system such as SharePoint which would enable the emergency
services to gain prompt access to such vital information.

ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN

In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and | believe you have the
power to take such action.

YOUR RESPONSE

You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this report,
namely by 14 June 2021. |, the Coroner, may extend the period.

Your response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out
the timetable for action. Otherwise you must explain why no action is proposed.

COPIES and PUBLICATION
| have sent a copy of my report to the Chief Coroner.

| have also sent it to the following who may find it useful or of interest:

3) UK Hospitality Association

4) Health and Safety/Local Authority Enforcement Liaison Committee
5) Local Authorities Health and Safety Practitioners Forum

6) National Fire Chiefs Council

7) Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service

8) Cameron House Resort (Loch Lomond) Limited

9) Media representatives

| am also under a duty to send the Chief Coroner a copy of your response.

The Chief Coroner may publish either or both ina complete or redacted or summary
form. He may send a copy of this report to any person who he believes may find it useful

or of interest.

You may make representations to me, the coroner, at the time of your response, about
the release or the publication of your response by the Chief Coroner.

Dated: 14" April 2021

Signed:

Ker MHeukke.
KEVIN McLOUGHLIN

Senior Coroner
West Yorkshire (E)

Responses

1 response published against this report on judiciary.uk. A response is a body's written reply to the coroner's concerns; publication is at the discretion of the Chief Coroner's office, so an absent response does not mean nobody replied.

Response from Scottish Government (PDF)
Ministear airson Sàbhailteachd Coimhearsnachd 
Minister for Community Safety 
Ash Denham BPA/MSP 

 

Kevin McLoughlin 

___ 

11 June 2021 

Dear Mr McLoughlin, 

Thank you for sending on your Regulation 28 report regarding the Cameron House Hotel fire.  
Strengthening fire safety remains a priority and the Scottish Government continues to support 
the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) work to reduce fires and fire fatalities. This 
includes learning from incidents and investigations, including your report, albeit Regulation 28 
of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 does not extend to Scotland (the coroner 
system only applying in England and Wales). The following is a summary of the safety 
actions for Scotland that have and will be taken following the fire. 

The Scottish Government’s Fire safety guidance for existing premises with sleeping 
accommodation was published in 2018.  The guidance was produced to assist those who 
have responsibility under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 for fire safety in certain premises with 
sleeping accommodation in Scotland. It recommends that the premises management should 
have an Emergency Fire Action Plan in place specific to the premises that should include 
procedures for:  

  checking whether the premises have been evacuated; and  
 

for meeting the SFRS and passing on details of the incident, including whether all 
persons are accounted for.  

The Scottish Government will work with SFRS to consider updating the guidance to make it 
more explicit that an accurate guest list, whether paper or digital, should be maintained to aid 
in ensuring all guests are evacuated; as well as for passing on relevant details to SFRS. 

In terms of the actions taken by SFRS following the fire,  operational matters are for SFRS.  
Scottish  Ministers  appoint  a  Chair  and  other  members  to  serve  as  members  of  SFRS, 
collectively  referred  to  as  the  Board.    The  Board  provides  strategic  direction,  support  and 
guidance to the SFRS ensuring that it operates effectively and that the Scottish Government’s 
priorities are implemented.    

Tha Ministearan na h-Alba, an luchd-comhairleachaidh sònraichte agus an Rùnaire  
Maireannach fo chumhachan Achd Coiteachaidh (Alba) 2016.  Faicibh www.lobbying.scot 

Scottish Ministers, special advisers and the Permanent Secretary are covered 
by the terms of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016.  See www.lobbying.scot 

Taigh Naomh Anndrais,  Rathad Regent, Dùn Èideann  EH1 
3DG 
St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh  EH1 3DG 
www.gov.scot 

  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 SFRS regularly inform my officials of the actions they are taking to strengthen fire safety in the 
hotel accommodation sector including: 

  Refreshing wider prevention and protection awareness within SFRS and disseminating 

key points from the investigation internally. 

  Working with the hotel sector to ensure that lessons are learned.  

  Engaging with Dutyholders to ensure they are aware of their fire safety responsibilities 

and the potential consequences of failing to address any shortcomings. 

  Preparing a public education campaign on fire action plans and escape routes. 

SFRS Enforcement Officers continue to support and advise those responsible for the safety 
of their premises wherever possible to achieve compliance in line with the Scottish 
Regulator’s Strategic Code of Practice. 

I will ensure I receive updates from SFRS on hotel fire safety during our regularly scheduled 
meetings throughout the year. 

I hope this response is helpful to you and thank you again for taking the time to send on your 
recommendation.  

ASH DENHAM 

Tha Ministearan na h-Alba, an luchd-comhairleachaidh sònraichte agus an Rùnaire  
Maireannach fo chumhachan Achd Coiteachaidh (Alba) 2016.  Faicibh www.lobbying.scot 

Scottish Ministers, special advisers and the Permanent Secretary are covered 
by the terms of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016.  See www.lobbying.scot 

Taigh Naomh Anndrais,  Rathad Regent, Dùn Èideann  EH1 
3DG 
St Andrew’s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh  EH1 3DG 
www.gov.scot 



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