Worker Electrocuted, Steel Firm Celsa Prosecuted

An electrician was electrocuted while working for the Cardiff based steel firm Celsa Manufacturing Ltd.  Henry Truszkowski aged 51 suffered serious burns as a result of the accident which took place in July 2008.  The 33,000 volt was a result of the company failing to properly safeguard high voltage electrical conductors under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.  The firm admitted their failings at Cardiff Crown Court last week and were fined £96,000.

The Accident Could Have Been Avoided

The accident happened when Mr Truszkowski was working on his own.  He came into contact with live electrical conductors as he was in the control room at Celsa’s Castle Works plant.  It is essential that the room would be securely isolated which would prevent the conductors from re-energising.  This was not the case and therefore as Mr Truszkowski cleaned the conductors and the circuit breakers he was electrocuted.  As a result of his life threatening accident he had to spend weeks in hospital and has still not been able to return to work.

Speaking at the court HSE inspector Steve Curry confirmed that the accident could have been avoided if Celsa Manufacturing had made sure that correct and safe working practises were in full operation.  He also highlighted the fact that other employees need to control the risks from high voltage equipment.

The fine was made up of £16,000 court fees and an £80,000 fine.

A Health and Safety Audit can save lives and save you money

A Vertis Consulting we use our expertise to help firms and organisations make sure that their health and safety policies and in place and being adhered to on a daily basis.  The above accident could have been avoided and has resulted in one man losing his income, and the firm being fined a huge amount of money.

The audit will help to discover the failings in your firm and help to address them before any accidents occur.  The areas in which good practices are being carried out will also be highlighted.  This helps to see what plans are successful and where you need to make extra provisions to ensure the safety of your employees and the public as a whole.

Veritas Consulting base their audit on HSG 65 which begins with evaluating the systems which are already in place within your organisation. We evaluate the site operations and the internal and external workplace.  Our results can identify hazards which are not being addressed, point out any problems regarding the law and regulations.

The health and safety audit can also be used to show that your company is doing everything possible to ensure health and safety policies are in place, which can be used to gain new contracts, and to help HSE investigations with their research if an accident was to occur within your company.

Protect Your Employees and Your Company

To find out more about how the health and safety audit can benefit your organisation please contact our experts on freephone 0800 1488 677.  We can help prevent accidents from occurring within your workplace, and show that you are doing everything possible to maintain Health and Safety regulations.

About David Cant

A chartered (fellow) safety and risk management practitioner with 20+ years of experience. David provides a healthy dose of how-to articles, advice and guidance to make compliance easier for construction professionals, Architects and the built environment. Get social with David on Twitter and Linkedin.