Two workers suffered facial burns from a flash fire while they carried out electrical work at a ferry terminal in Liverpool.
Terence Hayes, the owner of Hayes Electrical and Building Services, was contracted to replace a temporary generator for the landing stage at Pier Head Ferry Terminal with a supply from the mains. Hayes carried out a risk assessment and concluded that there was a low risk of workers suffering an electric shock. He therefore decided that the work could be done without the power supply being cut off.
On 16 April 2009, two of the firm’s employees, who wish to remain anonymous, went to the terminal to install a new fuse to the switchboard. While electricity was still running, one of the men slid a three-phase combination switch on to the busbar on the switchboard, which sparked a flash fire. The worker’s glasses were badly charred and he sustained severe burns. As a result, he spent four days in hospital and was unable to return to work for three months owing to his injuries.
His co-worker, who was standing next to him, also received burns to his face and required hospital treatment. Both have now made a full recovery and did not suffer any permanent scarring.
HSE inspector Sarah Wadham told SHP that the work should have been done out of hours and Hayes should have identified the need to cut the power supply. She said: “One of the workers suffered severe burns in the flash fire but, luckily, his glasses prevented his eyes from being more badly damaged. He still needed three months off work to recover and gets flashbacks of the incident.
“Mr Hayes should simply never have allowed the work to go ahead without the power being cut. The installation and maintenance instructions for the switchboard clearly state work should not be carried out while the electricity supply is live.
“It would have been perfectly reasonable to carry out the work between ferry sailings when the electricity supply at the terminal could have been switched off. That way neither of Mr Hayes’ employees would have been put at risk.”
Hayes appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on 1 September and pleaded guilty to breaching reg.14 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, for allowing the men to engage in work near a live conductor. He was fined £8000 and ordered to pay £4766 in costs.
In mitigation, Hayes said he had misjudged the risks to workers by deciding against isolating the power supply. He entered an early guilty plea and told the court he regretted the oversight.
