An electrical contracting company and its managing director failed to take adequate steps to protect a worker who suffered an electric shock from a live junction box.
Fras Contractors Ltd was appointed to carry out electrical work during the re-cladding of a storage facility at North Acton in London. The firm’s managing director, Adam Fras, hired sub-contractor Krzysztof Jabczanik to assist him with the maintenance work.
On 4 August 2010, the men were repairing an external floodlight at the site and believed the fault related to a problem inside a junction box. Mr Jabczanik accessed the unit by climbing up a ladder, which was positioned on top of storage boxes. Fras failed to ensure the power supply to the box was isolated, so when his colleague touched the box he suffered an electric shock. The muscles in his arm contracted due to the electrical current and prevented him from letting go of the box. Fras rushed to isolate the power and when he returned he found Mr Jabczanik unconscious at the foot of the ladder.
Mr Jabczanik was taken to hospital, where he was placed in a medically-induced coma. He received treatment for burns to his arms and also suffered memory loss. He was discharged after five days but was unable to work for more than two months owing to his injuries.
HSE inspector Jack Wilby told SHP that Mr Jabczanik was put at unnecessary risk. Charges were brought against the company for not ensuring the ladder was on flat ground, and Adam Fras was charged for neglecting to make the circuit safe, despite being a qualified electrician.
“Adam Fras and his firm ignored the essentials – in this instance, isolating the power and ensuring a ladder was used in a safe manner,” said inspector Wilby. “As a result, Mr Jabczanik was placed in totally unnecessary danger and he very nearly paid with his life.
“This case serves as a reminder of the risks from both electricity and working at height, and highlights that even experienced trades people should never underestimate the task in hand.”
Fras Contractors appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 7 March and pleaded guilty to breaching reg.4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It was fined £1500 and ordered to pay £1000 in costs. Adam Fras also pleaded guilty to breaching reg.14 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. He was fined £1000, plus £1000 in costs.
In mitigation, Fras said neither he nor his company had any previous convictions and had fully cooperated with the investigation. He entered an early guilty plea on both charges and asked the court to consider his lack of financial means.
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This is an appalling error by the director as a qualified electrician he should have known the risks. He should be blacklisted as a director so he can’t make the same mistakes again.
By the look of that pic there were plenty of slip and trip hazards as well. Unlike the HSE not to slap another charge on.