Firms fined £130,000 after worker's electric shock02 June 2011

Two companies, a director and a subcontractor have been fined a total of £130,000 for health and safety failings, after a construction worker suffered serious burns following an electric shock from an overhead power cable.

Self-employed steel erecter Mark Rushbrook was building two new poultry units at Sunny Farm in Swineshead, Bedfordshire on 25 June 2009. He was using a scissor lift to clad the gable end of a steel frame, when it came into contact with a power cable and he suffered an 11kV electrical shock.

HSE told Luton Crown Court that the defendants failed to indentify the potential risks of working near overhead voltage lines and had not put precautions in place, including notifying the authorities.

"As construction work is a high risk activity, with significant numbers of major and fatal injuries, good planning, communication and cooperation are needed constantly," comments HSE Inspector John Berezansky.

"Unfortunately, all the defendants in this case failed to achieve this. That Mr Rushbrook's injuries were not fatal is only a matter of luck. A lax attitude to health and safety is not acceptable, especially when so many incidents are completely avoidable by taking common sense actions and precautions," he adds.

Farm owner C and P Bird Brothers admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, for which it was fined £20,000, and Regulation 21(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, for which it was fined a further £20,000 and £5,500 costs.

Morspan Construction, which designed and manufactured the steel frame and was also the main contractor, admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc, for which it was fined £30,000, as well as Regulation 19(1)(c) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, for which it was fined a further £30,000 and £5,250 costs.

Brian Tinham

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Health & Safety Executive

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