He was a loving husband, father, and friend who died in a car crash outside of his workplace due to years of bullying.
An inquest cannot determine if he committed suicide or died due to spontaneous combustion.
On August 28, 2018, Peter Howard was at Orora’ packaging facility when his car exploded and caught on fire.
An inquest was held to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death. The Deputy State Coroner, Ian White, was informed that Mr Howard had been subjected to years of harassment by his coworkers.
According to his family, this led to him committing suicide. However, he did not determine if he killed himself or if the vehicle he was driving spontaneously combusted.
According to Mr White, he was subjected to harassment by four individuals over the course of his employment.
The first instance was reported in 2014. Prior to the inquest, Mr White noted that many people believed that Howard’s death was caused by the bullying he had endured at work.
On April 16, 2014, a colleague decided to play a joke on him by adding chilli flakes to his drink bottle.
Mr Howard was deeply offended by this prank. Then, on March 18, 2015, his forklift seat got bent.
Mr White also noted that there were other instances where Mr Howard had accused his coworkers of bullying.
GP Barry Nicholson stated that Mr Howard had referred to his mental health issues around 21 times in over a hundred visits over the course of his life.
He also kept a diary, which detailed the various abusive acts he had experienced at work.
Among the repetitive acts he had endured were teasing, tampering with his forklift, and other inappropriate behavior.
HR Manager of Orora stated that she could not identify a pattern of harassment and bullying experienced by Mr Howard.
Despite the evidence indicating that he most likely committed suicide, Mr White could not determine what caused the car to explode and catch on fire.
Family members of Peter Howard expressed their disappointment after learning that the Deputy State Coroner did not recommend any changes following the inquest. His sister, Carmel Schwartz, said they would like to see a different outcome. It has been over six years since his death.
Some form of financial support for families going through this ordeal is needed. I see the news reports about people who have died at work, and I think that they are the victims of a broken system. She said that no one has been held accountable, and that Mr Howard’s wife, who could not attend the inquest, did not expect a positive outcome.
The process has affected Ms Schwartz’s mental health. Although she still hoped that the Deputy State Coroner would find that bullying was the cause of Mr Howard’s death, it wasn’t meant to be. She said that her brother had tried to do everything in his power to address the issue, including liaising with his managers and co-workers.
He tried everything he could to address his issues. However, none of the efforts resulted in a positive outcome. He could have also requested a stop-bullying order through the Fair Work Commission. This would have ensured that those responsible would be held accountable.