Following an investigation and prosecution by the industry regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), Amey Rail Limited (ARL) has been fined £533,000 for an offence under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Amey Rail Limited pleaded guilty to the offence and has been issued with a fine of £533,334, ordered to pay costs of £41,000, and a victim surcharge of £181.
The incident happened on 25 December 2019, when Mr Allister Hunt who was a self-employed senior linesman working for Amey, was carrying out remedial ‘snagging’ works to overhead lines 2.5 miles outside London Paddington Station, near Kensal Green.
Whilst the on-site team were working they were unaware that they were outside an area that had been electrically isolated. As a result, when Mr Hunt touched a contact wire it was still live carrying 25,000 volts. That caused electric-shock injuries, with Mr Hunt suffering 55% burns that have since required skin grafts; Mr Hunt’s eyesight and hearing were also both affected.
In its report, the Office of Rail and Road found that:
- Amey Rail Limited did not have an effective and adequate system in place to ensure that the process of planning the works was carried out in a way that ensured the health and safety of those working on electrical lines;
- Amey Rail Limited had not implemented effective systems to supervise the safe conduct of the works;
- Amey Rail Limited had failed to ensure that a Test Before Touch regime had been properly and adequately carried out. Test Before Touch is a method of proving that electrical conductors are dead before persons are allowed to work on or near them and is a fundamental safety requirement that is included in Network Rail’s Life Saving Rules.
In his report, Ian Prosser, Chief Inspector of Railways, said: Mr Hunt suffered terrible, life-changing injuries, and could have died because of Amey Rail Limited’s inadequate measures.
“We welcome this judgement and we hope it sends a clear message to anyone responsible for work on the railway about the need to safeguard those working on it.”
Responses
Employers Eh? They don’t give a sod about the health, safety and welfare of those they employ. Whatever happened to prison sentences for senior managers who seriously harm their workers. Time and again this happens, and nothing seems to make them behave better. It’s an absolute disgrace.