Sheffield high-rise flats campaigner says coroner’s report on woman’s fall death echo his safety warnings

Peter MacLoughlin has raised the issue of detachable safety restrictor catches on high-rise flat windows with Sheffield City Council and said that the council should not house vulnerable people at height.

He responded again after South Yorkshire assistant coroner Alexandra Pountney this week (April 3) issued a prevention of future deaths report that she sent to the council following the death of Saffra Winn, who fell from her flat in Upperthorpe in July 2022. The inquest took place last month.

The coronerpointed to the death of a woman at a council block in Netherthorpe last December: “The inquest heard that there have been two fatalities by tenants falling from this type of window in high-rise buildings in a short period of time between July 2022 and December 2023.

“Notwithstanding these fatal events, Sheffield City Council has not yet completed any risk assessment of the windows or the safety latches on the windows.

Fatality

“A building safety regulator was put in post at the council in January 2023, some 11 months before the second fatality and six months after the first, and this person has not been consulted in relation to the safety or risk posed by the windows. I am concerned that this poses a risk of future death.”

She added: “More generally, I am concerned by Sheffield City Council’s inaction in relation to the investigation and assessment of risk following cases of catastrophic injury and death within their social housing stock.

“I am concerned that a failure to properly investigate and risk assess any incident of this nature, together with the absence of any formal procedure or policy for this process, poses a risk of future death.

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“There is no evidence before the inquest which alleviates my concern in this respect, in fact, the inquest was told that the head of housing investment and maintenance for the council was not aware of the fatal incidents above until his attendance was required at this inquest.”

The council has 56 days to respond to the issues raised by the coroner.

Peter, who has lived in a 14th-floor council flat in Netherthorpe since 1988, is a former city councillor and cabinet member for housing. He said he has raised safety matters for years and nobody has listened.

Safety

He was puzzled why the coroner had not picked up on the issue before as there had been other deaths and injuries. Residents raised serious concerns about safety issues in flats in Stannington following the death of a woman in 2013, said Peter.

He said he has also raised issues of child safety in flats since 2011. “Make no mistake about it, I hope I’m wrong, but sooner rather than later a young child is going to fall out of those windows and the council has totally ignored my concerns.”

Peter said that families with children continue to be housed in neighbouring flats.

“There’s no play facilities, that in itself causes pressure with children playing.

“Kids are inquisitive – I see them regularly leaning out of the windows on the 12th and 13th floors. I’ve raised this matter with the director of housing.”

He said he had written to city council leader Coun Tom Hunt enclosing a copy of the coroner’s risk of future deaths report to ask what actions are being taken in response to it. He said that Coun Hunt’s Walkley ward contains a large number of tower blocks and high-rise flats and maisonettes.

“I will also be writing to the coroner to ask why have they suddenly reacted on this because of other incidents – that I don’t know if they are involved with – to ask could action have been taken sooner?” he said.

Lessons

Peter said he was alarmed to learn from the coroner’s report that the council has no system in place to investigate when such deaths occur: “Surely that should have triggered some action or inquiry with essential lessons to be learned?

“Why wasn’t that done? Why weren’t they aware?”

Peter said that there should also be safety assessments made before vulnerable tenants are housed at height in any social housing.

He said that he is worried that the council will just decide to seal up windows as a way to deal with the problem. He said that the safety catches are detachable to allow residents to clean the windows but it also helps to regulate the temperature as flats can get unbearably hot.

He concluded: “They keep trotting out this thing that they take safety seriously. This completely shows that this is not the case in this matter and other matters.

“Somebody’s got to be because it can’t carry on like this with a cavalier attitude.”

Findings

He said that quite rightly fire safety had been a focus of council concern following the Grenfell tragedy but that should not obscure other aspects of high-rise flat safety.

The council responded with the following points:

• The council has been in discussions with the independent and external building safety regulator, part of the Health and Safety Executive, to discuss correct window safety devices to be used in all our high-rise properties moving forward. The building safety regulator is not a position within Sheffield City Council;
• We will respond to the coroner’s report with any appropriate findings;
• Prior to a property being relet to a new tenant all of the windows – which are compliant with building regulations – are checked by our maintenance teams to ensure any window restrictors are working as required;
• Starting in January this year (2024), the council has written to all residents in 11m-plus-high buildings to advise on the safe use of their windows, including the use, functionality and safety of the existing window restrictors. This guidance will be issued annually for as long as they are in use;
• The guidance above will be included in the sign-up process for new tenants moving into such properties;
• Sheffield City Council has this year established a High Rise Forum (HRF) made up of representatives of our 24 high-rise tower blocks to deal with all aspects of building safety and resident concern;
• Should anyone require support on how to use their windows effectively, residents can call 0114 273 4567 and an appointment will be made with a trained member of staff to provide the right guidance and training.