The jury ruled that poor English skills led to Tkacik being unable to understand all briefings. The exclusion zone definition was also unclear as it sometimes changed. The BBC reported that Tkacik was found within such a zone, where wet concrete was being poured. And that it was not clearly marked at the time of his death. Since the incident, safety ropes and chains have reportedly been brought into use.
Tkacik was working in the tunnel some 24m below Fisher Street, London; a depth that meant emergency personnel took six minutes to reach him from the surface.
Crossrail released the following statement: "Safety has always been, and continues to be, the number one value for Crossrail and is critical to the delivery of the project. Crossrail has a good safety record and sets the most stringent contractor safety requirements in the industry. There is nothing so important on Crossrail that it cannot be done safely."
Tkacik, a 44-year-old Slovakian construction worker had travelled to London for work. He had been sending money to his family in Slovakia to pay for his daughter Esther to go to university.
