Lincolnshire firm fined after worker hurt in electrical explosion

The incident happened at a recycling plant in Lincolnshire in July 2021

A firm has been fined £200,000 after a worker was badly injured when a crowbar he was using touched a live conductor.

The man was blown to the floor in an explosion, suffering burns to his face and body and broken ribs and an arm.

New Earth Solutions (West) Limited, of Caythorpe, Grantham, Lincolnshire, pleaded guilty to breaching the Safety at Work Act at Lincoln Magistrates' Court.

The company was ordered to pay £12,466 in costs.

The man was moving heavy-duty electrical cables with a metal crowbar on a mobile platform when the bar came into contact with the live conductor, causing an electrical explosion at Copper Hill industrial estate, Barkston Heath, in July 2021.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said its investigation found that the "task was not part of the normal workload for the injured worker and that he had not received any training with regards to undertaking electrical work".

"The task had not been properly planned nor risk-assessed and the electrical cables were not isolated before work began," the HSE said.

"In addition, the level of supervision provided was inadequate and safety devices on the electrical supply had been set inappropriately, prioritising continuity of supply over safety of the electrical circuit."