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Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire · Bristol Magistrates' Court
A worker was part of a team clearing vegetation on the A3102 near Royal Wootton Bassett at night when a mobile lighting tower he was pushing contacted an 11,000-volt overhead powerline. He suffered a severe electric shock and burns from the contact.
Injuries: Life-threatening injuries, including burns through the arm and hip to the bone in the injured worker's own account; hospitalised for five weeks, with complex injuries treated by five or six different surgeons and ongoing nerve pain.
Regulation 14 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, by virtue of Regulation 3
“Overhead electrical power lines present extreme risks to workers, but the risks can and must be controlled.”
Work near overhead powerlines, including with tall mobile equipment like lighting towers, needs the risk identified and controlled before work starts.
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