A construction company has been landed with a fine of more than £500,000 after one of an employee’s tipper vehicle came into contact with overhead powerlines.
Northampton Crown Court heard that on 9 March 2016 a driver employed by Mick George was emptying a load of soil from his tipper vehicle at a site in Northampton.
The company had already identified the need for permanent protection structures (known as “goalposts”) but after an initial delay only one was installed.
In order to empty the final remains of the load from his vehicle, the driver pulled forward with the body raised and the vehicle touched, or came close to touching, the 33kV overhead power lines.
The tipper vehicle suffered minor damage but the driver was unhurt.
Nonetheless, an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showed that Mick George should have assessed the risks from overhead power lines more rigorously and realised its system of work was inadequate to reduce the risk of tipper vehicles striking them.
Mick George of Lancaster Way, Huntingdon, pleaded guilty to a breach of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM). The company was fined £566,670 and ordered to pay costs of £9,000.
HSE inspector Stuart Parry: “Every year in the UK, two people are killed and many more injured when mechanical plant and machinery comes into contact or close proximity to overhead power lines. This was a very serious incident and it is fortunate nobody was injured as a result.
“A suitable and sufficient assessment would have identified the need to contact the distribution network operator, Western Power, to request the overhead power lines were diverted underground prior to the commencement of construction.
“If this was not reasonably practicable, Mick George should have erected goalposts either side of the overhead power lines to warn drivers about them.”
