Magistrates have fined an electrical engineering company after an employee suffered serious burns when he was shocked in a work accident.
High-voltage-cable jointer Stephen Martin Edwards, 52, was badly burned on his hands, arms and chest after the incident in Stroud in September 2009 which happened while he was trying to connect a cable between a circuit breaker and a nearby transformer.
Mr Edwards, of Bedminster, Bristol, was told by an electrical engineer supervisor that a cable connection box he was working on had been isolated and earthed, but had been told to open the wrong box by mistake.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that Mr Edwards’ supervisor had not checked that the equipment he was working on was ‘dead’, while Powersystems UK had not provided adequate personal protective equipment.
At Cheltenham Magistrates Court, Powersystems UK, based in Yate, was ordered to pay £5,000 in fines, plus £8,000 in costs.
Source: Claims Magazine
