Memorial service for men who died working on Severn Bridge

Last year, a memorial to the men was installed on the bridge where four men – John Cornelius Short, Eric Alan Sullivan, Robin Chester Phelps, and Kevin John Hoskins – lost their lives during strengthening works in the 1980s and 90s.

However, due to the coronavirus restrictions, no official dedication ceremony was able to be held at the time.

Former construction manager Peter Neale decided to install a plaque, having worked on the bridge with three of the men at the time.

“It’s almost closure for me,” he said. “When I spoke to the families, they were really keen for it to happen after all these years.

“It’s not just closure for the families and for myself, it’s a message to not ever forget what it means. It’s not just an incident or a statistic. You can see that from the families who showed up today, 30 years later.

“We need to get better [with health and safety]. We are getting better, but you look at things like the Avonmouth explosion only last year – all of those families are now impacted for life.”

The families of those who lost their lives working on the Severn Bridge attended the ceremony.

Mr Neale spoke about working on the bridge when one of the industrial accidents occurred.

“I was in the office,” he said. “A guy ran all the way from where it fell to the office and said the gantry was gone. He had a radio, but was speechless – so he just ran.

“It hit me hard. I felt responsible, even though there was nothing we could do.”

Investigators on the Severn Bridge after an accident in 1990.

Mr Neale added he hopes to raise awareness about the European directive which sets out the minimum safety and health requirements for temporary or mobile construction sites, which is now under post-Brexit review.

“I’m concerned it will now be streamed down. I urge anyone involved in the review to please look at this here.”

With support from National Highways and the John Laing Charitable Trust, Mr Neale was able to get the plaque installed next to the plaque commemorating those who lost their lives during the bridge’s initial construction.

The plaque has been installed next to the plaque commemorating those who lost their lives during the Severn Bridge’s initial construction.

Monmouth MP David TC Davies also attended the ceremony on Friday.

“It was important to come here today to mark the memory of those who lost their lives building and strengthening the bridge,” he said.

“I hope that this offers some comfort to the families here today.

Work to remove the gantry which crashed 150 ft into the River Severn in 1990.

“It also serves as a reminder about the impact of health and safety. Health and safety is absolutely vital.

“We have come a long way in the last 30 years since I was working in haulage.

“This is a very fitting reminder of the impact of health and safety and what the impact is when things go wrong.”