An employee was using a jack hammer to break concrete to enable the removal of a gate post. As he was doing this, the jack hammer hit an underground 415 Volt electric cable and he received minor burns to his face. Plans showing the location of cables had not been used. He had received inadequate information, instruction & training for working near live 415 Volt cables. Injuries could have been much more serious.
The employer was prosecuted under The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (No 4) paragraph 3 and fined.
The downloadable HSE booklet Avoiding danger from underground services gives guidance on how to work near underground services.