The National Grid has been fined £3.2m and a contractor more than £90,000 after a pylon worker was left with life-changing injuries from a huge electric shock.
During the accident at Treforest Industrial Estate in Pontypridd on 3 December 2020, worker Justin Hollins received an electric shock of 33,000 volts. He was left with burns to 40 per cent of his body, including to his arms and legs, and also lost part of his right buttock.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found National Grid Electricity Distribution (South Wales) Plc had failed to ensure that the electricity was switched off before work began to replace step bolts on a pylon.
The HSE also concluded that maintenance and refurbishment contractor 4 Power Ltd of Cheshire had failed to properly plan and assess the risk.
The investigation found that 4 Power Ltd had not identified that the arms of the pylon were too short to do the work safely and keep the specified safety distances in line with industry standards.
According to an HSE statement, Hollins was wearing a climbing harness during the accident and was left hanging on the pylon for some time before being rescued by colleagues.
He needed six operations in the 10 days after the accident and the nerve damage he sustained has affected his mobility. Hollins revealed in the HSE statement that he will remain a burns patient for the rest of his life.
He said: “Although I appreciate that I have been lucky to survive, I have to live with the physical and mental effects of the accident for life. I also have to live with the uncertainty of the long-term damage 33,000 volts have done to my internal organs.”
At Cardiff Crown Court, 4 Power Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £14,123.
National Grid Electricity Distribution (South Wales) Plc pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 14 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and was fined £3.2m. The firm was also ordered to pay costs of £20,460.
HSE inspector Rhys Hughes said in the statement: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information and instruction to workers.
“What is so frustrating in incidents like these is if a safe system of work had been in place before the incident, his injuries would have been prevented.”
HSE provides advice and guidance to employers and workers for free on hse.gov.uk
