Flixborough company fined employee suffers after accident at work
A North Lincolnshire construction company has been prosecuted and fined for safety breaches, which lead to an employee sustaining severe burns to his arms, chest and face.
Along with another colleague, Richard Baisley, 26, had been working at the Kim Barker Construction Ltd site on the Flixborough Industrial Estate when the incident occurred. He had been told to dig two holes for a new sign, but when he took his turn operating the drill, he hit an underground cable.
The 415 volt cable, which nobody knew was there, caused an electrical explosion when it was hit by the drill. Mr Baisley, from Scunthorpe, was badly burnt on his face, arms, chest and hands. He was unable to return to work, as well being unable to play sport or ride his motorcycle for up to six months after the incident.
Following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), it was ruled that Kim Barker Construction Ltd had broken the Electricity at Work regulations, causing Mr Baisley’s injuries. For not ensuring that the cable was located before work started, and for failing to ensure the proper health and safety training was carried out for the task at hand, the company was fined £13,000.