The inquest eventually convened at Bootle Town Hall on 9 July 2013 before Christopher Sumner, the coroner for Sefton, Knowsley, and St Helens. The inquest heard that the two men, James Bibby, 25, and Thomas Elmer, 27, were both sub-contracted mechanical engineers and fitters and were carrying out maintenance work on a stationary conveyor belt above ground level at the time of the incident. John Moutrie, an investigator from HSE, said: "Mr Bibby and Mr Elmer were both found dead in the conveyor of Silo No 4. The two men were likely to have been working inside the conveyor or reaching into it to tighten the bolts at the bottom. At this point the conveyor started and there was no means of stopping it. They were drawn into the conveyor with tragic results. If safety procedures had been followed, the incident could not have occurred. Physical isolation of the conveyor belt had not been carried out."