Following a UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution, a retail company was fined £1,000,000 after an electrician suffered serious burns to 15 per cent of his body when he was caught in an explosion.
The incident
The HSE reports that an electrician was using a metal spanner to repair an electrical fault at a supermarket warehouse. The spanner he was using came into contact with a live busbar (metallic strip) linked to the power distribution causing an electrical explosion.
The electrician sustained serious injuries which included burns to his arms, hands, thighs, legs, and face. He was placed in an induced coma for two weeks and had to undergo several skin grafts. As a result of the incident the electrician was unable to work for five months.
