News Article

Council fined over workman's death


Posted by Chris Owen | Date Posted 28.07.2008 | Time Posted 13:54:00 | Views: 415

Dacorum Borough Council, Hemel Hempstead, has been fined £37,500 with £17,500 costs over failures to ensure the safety of its employees. During November 2006, a Council workman was helping plumbers working to fix a burst water main at a house, he clamped an electric cable thinking it was a domestic water main, but the property had a mains water pipe and electricity supply cable both of similar size and colour, and the cable ruptured, electrocuting him.

A cable avoidance tool (CAT) had not been used, an HSE official explained:

“I hope this tragic incident makes it clear to employers that they need to take positive steps to risk assess the obvious hazards involved with underground work, such as electricity and gas, and to manage them. They must ensure that staff are properly trained in the use of detection equipment, such as a CAT, and are aware of the potential risks involved in this type of work”.


Published in sections: Health and Safety ::

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