A Scottish firm has been fined £80,000 after a man died following an electrical explosion due to poorly maintained apparatus.
Christopher Wayne Earley, father of four children, was a contractor carrying out an asbestos survey and inspecting an electric panel at Nigg Energy Park, in the Cromarty Firth, when the electrical explosion happened. A third of Christophers body was burned and three months later he died, following multiple infections brought on by his injuries.
The HSE found the switch room Christopher was surveying was not in an appropriate condition. Investigators said this created a risk as the live switch panels did not have a warning label indicating they were energised with electricity running through them. There was no warning of electrical danger at the internal doorway between Shop 7 and the switch room, and the internal door itself was missing. Investigators said failure to maintain the switch room was the underlying cause of the incident.
Global Energy Nigg Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) and Section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. They were fined £80,000 at Tain Sheriff Court on 18 January 2023.
Debbie Carroll, who leads on health and safety investigations for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: “Christopher Wayne Earley lost his life in circumstances which were foreseeable and entirely avoidable. By failing to maintain the switch room in an appropriate condition Global Energy Nigg Limited put someone not employed by them at unacceptable risk. Failing to take reasonable health and safety measures can have fatal consequences and they will be held accountable for this failure.”
ECA has produced a guide to clients on the importance of electrical testing, which can be accessed here.
Last updated 24 January 23