Companies 'must ensure staff safety'

Construction firms are being warned they must thoroughly plan work around underground services after a company was found guilty of risking an employee's life for failing to do so.

Hogarth (Construction) of East Yorkshire was found guilty in Beverley crown court of failing to ensure the safety of its workers after a member of staff suffered severe burns to his hand and face after making contact with a live underground 400v cable on a construction site.

The firm was ordered to pay a total of £5,616 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 for failing to carry out an adequate risk assessment of the dangers workers were likely to be exposed to.

In addition to the breaching Regulation 3(1), the company also admitted to contravening Regulation 14 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 for failing to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of persons working near live-underground cables.

David Stewart, a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector, said the victim was lucky to escape with superficial injuries as this type of incident usually has more serious consequences.

"Nationally, there were 18 worker fatalities due to contact with electricity in 2006/07, nine of these involving workers in the construction industry," he said.

The HSE claims underground electricity cables can be dangerous as they often look like pipes and it is impossible to tell if they are live by just looking at them.