Cardiff company fined over failure to protect staff

Date:

2 February 2011

Release No:

W1310DR

Cardiff-based steel company Celsa Manufacturing (UK) Ltd. has been fined after a worker sustained serious burns while carrying out electrical maintenance work at its city centre plant.

Henry Truszkowski, 51, an electrician from Pontypool, was working alone when he came in to contact with exposed, live electrical conductors and suffered a 33,000 volt shock.

Mr Truzkowski was cleaning the conductors and circuit breaker units in a control room at Celsa's Castle Works plant on 31 July 2008.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that normally, when carrying out maintenance, the room would be securely isolated to prevent the re-energising of the conductors.

However a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found on this occasion, that had not happened and as a result, when Mr Truzkowski touched the conductors, he received the massive electric shock.

He was hospitalised for several weeks and is yet to return to work.

HSE found Mr Truszkowski's employers, Celsa Manufacturing (UK) Ltd. had failed to ensure the necessary precautions had been taken to prevent employees coming in to contact with the electrical conductors.

Celsa Manufacturing (UK) Ltd, of Castle Works, East Moors Road, Cardiff pleaded guilty to failing to properly safeguard high voltage electrical conductors under Section 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974. Today the company was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay full costs.

HSE inspector Steve Curry said:

"Had Celsa Manufacturing (UK) ensured correct and safe working practices were in operation, the serious injuries Mr Truszkowski suffered may have been avoided.

"This incident need not have occurred, and must serve as a notice to other employers of the need to control risks from high voltage electrical equipment."

The HSE website contains information on the responsibilities of employers to manage risk and also includes guidance on how to carry out a risk assessment. The site is at http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/index.htm.

Notes to editors

1. Section 2(1) of The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees."
2. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement.www.hse.gov.uk
3. All employers have a duty to assess risks in the workplace and put in place sensible health and safety measures to manage them. More information on risk assessment can be found on the HSE website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/index.htm

Press enquiries

Regional reporters should call the appropriate Regional News Network press office.

Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News and PR Wales