News

Lancashire workers get 11,000-volt electric shock

Huntapac Produce Ltd was charged with two health and safety offences in relation to an incident at Marsh Farm in Hesketh Bank near Preston. It was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,881 at Ormskirk Magistrates’ Court on 15 October 2009.

The court heard that two employees were lifting a metal ladder into a water pump shaft when it made contact with the 11,000 volt overhead power lines. One of the men fell unconscious and suffered electrical burns to a hand and both his feet. The other man’s feet were also badly burned.

Around 1,000 people are injured every year from electric shocks while at work in the UK, and about 25 people die from their injuries. Carrying out unsafe work near overhead power cables is one of the main causes of deaths and injuries.

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