A John Doyle Construction site foreman who died on a housing project in south-west London had insufficient documents to act as a banksman, an inquest heard this week.
New Zealander Jack Tangney, 29, from Chelsea, was hit by a shutter while directing a crane on the Foster and Partners-designed Albion Riverside project on 6 August 2002.

Speaking at the inquest, held at Westminster Coroners Court on Wednesday, Health and Safety Executive officer Michelle Workemen said: "After the incident, and after perusal of all the documentation, I could not find evidence that Tangney had the necessary certification to work as a banksman."

Although documentation to act as a banksman is not a legal requirement, the HSE said it expected workers to have it.

Andrew Webb, a steel fixer from south Devon who was working on the site for subcontractor JJ Fitzgerald, witnessed the accident while he was on tea break.

Webb said: "I saw the shutter lighting on the crane, and I saw Jack below on the radio. I heard a crash and saw the shutter swinging on the chain. I shouted to Jack – he had seen it and was running back towards the hoarding. The shutter came down at an angle and I saw Jack go underneath the shutter, which had hit him."

Tangney was described by colleagues at the inquest as "kind and competent" and "took safety as a priority".

The cause of death was given as multiple injuries of which the most significant was to the left side of the head. The court returned a verdict of accidental death.