Poor risk assessment and evidence of overwork blamed on fatal electrocution

Electrical contractor CFR Group has been fined £100,000 after a worker was electrocuted on a site in central London.

Philip Martin, 28, was killed when a co-worker accidentally turned on the power while he was fitting electrical wiring.

The HSE investigation found that CFR Group should have carried out a risk assessment for the work. The company should also have ensured that it should have been clearly marked which power circuit could be turned on, and other circuits should have been locked.

The investigation also found that CFR Group should have had better procedures for a power lock-off, and should have properly controlled workers’ access to the switch room.

There was evidence that the employees had been overworked. The HSE recommended workers should not work longer than 48 hours within a specified reference period.

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’.