Timber merchants fined following workplace accident

A subcontracted mechanical fitter at a timber merchants has been seriously injured in a workplace accident.

The male worker was employed by Ridgeons Ltd, a timber merchants with branches across the East of England, when the accident happened in September 2008.

He was in the process of renovating an overhead crane system and was gaining access to the crane using a metal ladder. Whilst he was standing halfway up the ladder, he accidentally came into contact with a live conductor cable.

The cable should have been clearly marked as dangerous and isolated so that workers could not come into contact with it. However, neither precaution had been taken.

The main cable connected to the crane carried a huge amount of power - three phrase 415v electricity – and, on touching it, the man suffered a serious electric shock.

The force of the shock caused him to fall more than five metres to the concrete floor below, leading to a broken ankle and heel and burns to his hands. He also fractured a vertebra in his spine.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out an investigation as a result of the accident and found Ridgeons Ltd guilty of breaching the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. The firm was fined £5,000 at Bury St Edmunds Magistrates' Court.

An HSE inspector said, "Companies are reminded to ensure work carried out by subcontractors on their behalf follows safe working practices."