This case emphasised the importance of taking effective Health and Safety precautions in order to prevent incidents occurring in the workplace.
Fairhurst Stone Merchants Ltd pleaded guilty to safety breaches and have been fined after a vehicle came into contact with an uninsulated overhead electric power line. The line was live at 11,000v, fortunately nobody was injured in the incident.
The case was heard in Leeds Magistrates’ Court, after a wagon delivering materials to the company’s ready-mix plant in Settle was instructed to tip its load close to the overhead power lines. During the tipping procedure, the vehicle moved forward and made contact with the power lines.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that two years previously, a wagon from the same company had made contact with the same power lines. Similarly, no one was injured but the electricity supplier gave advice regarding avoiding another incident. Following this incident, the only action the company took was to put up two small warning notices that the driver unfortunately did not see. In addition, the first incident was not reported to HSE as required by the RIDDOR regulations.
Fairhurst Stone Merchants Ltd of Langcliffe Mill, Stainforth Road, Langcliffe, Settle has been fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £621.42 in costs. After the company provided a guilty plea to breaching Regulation 3 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and Regulation 7 of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.
Following the hearing, HSE inspector Julian Franklin stated “Had the company reported the first incident to HSE and acted on the guidance from the electricity supplier, effective precautions could have been taken to avoid a repeat incident. This incident could have led to the death of the wagon driver. Standard industry-wide precautions should be followed to avoid the risk of making contact with high-voltage overhead lines.”
In order to prevent similar cases occurring in the future, risk assessments should be carried out and acted upon promptly at all working environments. Clear signage should be displayed in areas where overhead cables are present. Drivers should be made aware of potential dangers. Most importantly in the event of an incident like this, the incident must be effectively reported following RIDDOR regulations. You can find more out about how to report incidents via this link. https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg453.htm
You should also ensure that employees have received sufficient and relevant training in how to carry out checks.
If you have any queries regarding health and safety management or training, including carrying out risk assessments, please get in touch with one of the team on 01924 827869.
Reference – https://press.hse.gov.uk/2020/01/22/company-fined-after-vehicle-struck-an-overhead-power-cable/
