Fire in a Road Sweeper – The False Economy of a Cheaper Supplier

Hawkins was instructed to investigate the cause of a fire in an electric road sweeper which occurred at a council depot approximately ten minutes after a service engineer had repaired the sweeper.

Fires and Explosions at Sea

Hawkins investigated the cause of a fire and explosion on board a container ship on behalf of an insurer of various cargo interests. One of the key questions, as always, was which occurred first, the fire or the explosion?

Swimming Pool Slip Incident

In July 2009, a guest at a large hotel in Swansea slipped and fell whilst walking on the surround of the hotel’s swimming pool. Minutes afterwards, after recovering from that fall, the guest fell a second time, sustaining severe personal injuries.

Fire at Burger Manufacturer

The manufacturer of beef burgers suffered major damage at their factory when a fire broke out in the control panel of a defrosting unit. However, one of the main concerns of the insurers was why the fire managed to spread so quickly.

A Useful Result for Local Authorities

St Margaret’s Church in Uxbridge is suffering from decay of the stone walls some of which is serious. The church authorities were advised by their conservation experts that the cause of the decay was attack by salt overspill from the council’s winter road gritting program and as a result, the church brought proceedings against the council.

Potters Bar Derailment Investigation

On 10 May 2002 the 12.45 Kings Cross to King’s Lynn train derailed just south of Potters Bar station. Seven people died; six on the train and a pedestrian struck by debris. Numerous people were injured.