Worker suffers serious burns after electrical flash
Electrical flash
Carl Lowery (L) had been working on new apartment blocks when an electrical flash blew him backwards and burnt his arms and face in May 2020. He’d been working alongside a colleague at SRE Cabling and Jointing Ltd, with the company subcontracted by Aberla M&E Ltd (A), to carry out cabling and jointing works on the new apartments.
The pair were working on the building’s main switchboard, with nearby bus bars left live with electricity and covered by a guard panel. However, a gap in the guard panel led to a nut rolling behind and coming into contact with the live bus bars, causing an electrical flash which blew L backwards. He underwent multiple surgeries including a skin graft following the incident and has been unable to work since.
The investigation
The HSE found that A had incorrectly assumed the guard panel was sufficient separation of the workers from the live bus bars. The company failed to take into account a gap in the guard panel, which risked nuts, bolts, tools, etc. coming into contact with the bus bars.
There was also a failure to issue a permit to work (PTW), which resulted in the main switchboard being left live. There was also no supervision or monitoring.
The court decides
A pleaded guilty to breaching s.3(1) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 . It was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs on 14 March 2024.
What is arc flash?
Arc flash, often called a flashover, is a type of electrical explosion or discharge that results from a connection through air to ground in an electrical system. Temperatures at the source of an arc flash can reach 20,000°C, around four times the surface of the sun.
Injuries can include external burns to the skin, internal burns, intoxication from inhaling hot gases, hearing and eye damage and blindness from the ultraviolet light of the flash, as well as many others. Common causes of arc flash include:
- equipment failure
- dropping un-insulated tools or metal parts
- using incorrectly specified instruments
- live work on damaged equipment such as cables
- loose connections and exposed live parts
- lack of awareness and training.
Working with electricity
Proper planning to ensure that risks are eliminated at the earliest stage is essential. All work on electrical installations, whether live or not, should be completed by trained and competent electricians.
Tip. Always use a PTW when working with electricity to prevent similar incidents. If you are working on live circuits, use our Permit to Work - Energised Circuits (see The next step ). If you are working on circuits where the power has been isolated, then use our Permit to Work - Non-Energised Circuits (see The next step ).
For our permit to work for both energised and non-energised circuits, visit https://www.tips-and-advice.co.uk , Download Zone, year 22 issue 16.
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