A HEALTH and safety officer was crushed to death when a 3.5 tonne steel plate pinned him to a moving conveyer belt, an inquest heard yesterday.

Robert Powlay, 54, was pinned to metal rollers when the 20ft long, 10ft wide steel sheet rolled over him.

Work colleagues rushed to his aid, but the massive weight of the plate crushed his ribs and internal organs, and he died nearly three weeks later in hospital.

The jury inquest, at Middlesbrough Magistrates' Court, heard how Mr Powlay worked as a maintenance fitter at the Corus plant at Portrack, Stockton, when the tragedy happened on October 17, 2000.

The day-long hearing was told how Mr Powlay, of Coatham Road, Redcar, was carrying out repair work on a conveyer belt roller when the accident happened.

Terry Watts, team leader at the plant, told the inquest what confronted him when he ran to help his colleague.

He said: "Bob wasn't visible to me at first . . . but I eventually saw him with only his head showing over the plate.

"I spoke to him but I got no reply. I felt for a pulse but there wasn't one. Then we realised the weight of the plate on him was stopping him breathing."

He was taken to Middlesbrough General Hospital, where doctors battled in vain to treat his shattered ribs and bruised internal organs. He died on November 6 when he could no longer breathe without 100 per cent oxygen.

The report of an internal investigation, read out in court by an emotional Laurence Brook - the company's health and safety manager - revealed Mr Powlay died after he stood between two conveyer belts.

As he checked repair work on one of them - work which included manually rotating the rollers - the movement triggered the other one to start up behind him, sending the metal sheet into his back.

Mr Powlay had worked at Smiths Dock for 25 years and at British Steel, now Corus, for 16 years.

After the jury had deliberated for 30 minutes, Coroner Michael Sheffield recorded a verdict of death by accident.

Mr Powlay leaves a wife, Margaret, 58, daughter, Jenny, 28, and son, Chris, 25.