Engineering firm fined following death of electrician

In October 2008, a Scottish engineering company was fined £300,000 following the electrocution of an employee in 2005. Michael Adamson, a qualified electrician, was installing cables, fixtures and fittings at a construction site in Dundee when he was electrocuted. Despite being labelled “not in use”, the cable he was working on was live and had not been safely and securely isolated from the electricity supply.

Mr Adamson had not been provided with the necessary test equipment to prove the cable was dead, nor the means to securely isolate the circuit. Accordingly, Mitie Engineering Services (Edinburgh) Limited was fined £300,000 at Dundee Sheriff Court after being found in breach of section 2(1) of the HSWA for failing to ensure the health and safety of people in its employment. Two company directors and the project manager for the site were acquitted of charges under section 37 of HSWA.

The HSE’s principal Inspector, Jim Skilling made the following comment after the case: “The HSE has found across the electrical contracting industry there is widespread violation of safe working practices. Each year there are around 2000 incidents at work involving electrical injury. Michael Adamson’s death could have been prevented had his employer ensured that safe working practices were being carried out in accordance with the company’s own written procedures.”