Council worker electrocuted

摘要

Dacorum Borough Council has been fined ￡37,500 after a council worker died from a massive electric shock during repair work in November 2006.rnBen Richardson was working as part of a housing repair team called in to help plumbers repair a burst water main at one of the council's properties.rnHe clamped an electric cable thinking it was a domestic water main. The cable ruptured sending a massive current through his body. The court was told that the mains water pipe and electricity supply cable at the property were both of similar size and colour, making them hard to distinguish. The HSE investigation identified that the system of work used did not involve the use a cable avoidance tool (CAT) to safely detect electric current. Mr Richardson's workmate said they had been shown how to use a CAT during '20 or 30 minutes' as part of arntraining course in 1998, but they had never achieved competence in its use.