A woman died after falling from a ladder whilst topping up her electricity meter at home an inquest has heard.
Bernadette Faulkner, 80, fell from a stepladder whilst attempting to reach her flat’s prepayment meter in Bloomsbury on December 2, 2022.
Following an inquest into Mrs Faulkner’s death, a prevention of future deaths report has been issued. The report criticised both the placement of Ms Faulkner’s meter and similar devices in other homes.
Coroner Ian Potter wrote that Mrs Faulkner, who was 4ft 10ins tall, was living in a converted Victorian townhouse rented from Camden Council when the incident occurred.
They said: “On December 2, 2022, Mrs Faulkner purchased credit for her electricity meter and then climbed the stepladder to put the credit onto the meter.
“In trying to access the meter she fell from the ladder and landed on the floor, where she was discovered some hours later by neighbours.”
The Evening Standard reported the inquest heard Mrs Faulkner spent “many hours on her bathroom floor” out of reach of a phone after initially declining an ambulance.
Two days after the incident, Ms Faulkner was able to call the emergency services on December 4 but died of her injuries four days later on December 8.
Mr Potter criticised the placement of the meter seven to eight feet above the floor of Mrs Faulkner’s flat. He said, “She had no choice but to access the meter using a stepladder every time she wished to add credit to her pre-payment meter”.
Mr Potter called for changes to the position of new meters which should extend not just to new buildings, but to older flats like Mrs Faulkner’s.
He explained: “There appears to be no industry standard requiring electricity meters to be easily accessible (albeit secure) by all potential customers, except perhaps in newly built properties. In my opinion, action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you have the power to take such action.”
Following Mr Potter’s report, a spokesperson for energy regulator Ofgem said: “Our thoughts are with Bernadette’s family and friends after this incredibly tragic incident. We expect suppliers to carefully consider whether their customers’ meters are safe and appropriate for them to use, and to proactively identify if a customer may be vulnerable and in need of further support, and if they are eligible to join the Priority Services Register (PSR).”
They added: “If a consumer cannot easily access their meter or is experiencing any challenges in viewing, topping up, or operating it, they should speak to their supplier as soon as possible so they can get the support they need and discuss the alternative options, which could include their meter being replaced or relocated.
“If a customer is unhappy with how their situation is handled by their supplier, they can raise a complaint with the Energy Ombudsman.”
In a separate statement, Mrs Faulkner’s former landlord Camden Council they were “very sad” Mrs Faulkner “lost her life in this way and our deepest sympathies are with her family and friends”.
The council said they would give “careful consideration to the coroner’s report” to make sure they are “doing all that we can for our tenants” experiencing the same problem.
