An inquest and court hearing have examined the death of Chloe Bidwell, an 18-year-old apprentice joiner who was crushed when an unsafe stack of plasterboard toppled onto her while she was renovating student accommodation in Bangor, north Wales. The case matters because the judge found that the company's health and safety failings were severe, describing its risk assessment as "not worth the paper it was written on" because workers had never seen it, highlighting serious workplace safety lapses that cost a young life.

Chloe, a keen rugby player and skydiver, had won a gold medal in joinery at the Skills Competition Wales and encouraged other young women to consider a trade; her mother, Clare Stephenson-Brown, said she had been "full of life" and about to travel the world and train as a firefighter. The incident, which happened on or before 20 December 2023 at the Varcity Living student accommodation, was investigated by police and the Health and Safety Executive. Company director David Horrocks, 45, of Felinheli, admitted failing to discharge a health and safety duty and received a 26-week prison sentence suspended for two years, while Varcity Living pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety of employees and non-employees.