A packaging firm based in Carlisle have been successfully prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executives office after two electricians were engulfed in a fireball whilst carrying out repairs.
The accident could have been fatal but luckily the two men were able to survive. The two electricians were carrying work out on a fuse box at Innovia Films Ltd, on Station Road in Wigton when they were engulfed by a fire ball after some wires were clumsily repaired on the previous day to keep machinery running, as the company’s management felt they could not afford to close the business for the essential work to be undertaken.
As it happened, it would have made better financial sense to close the factory for the day and a half that it would have taken to complete the work, as the fine that was handed out totalled £115,000.
The Crown Court hearing in Carlisle was told that down to the unforgivable negligence, Mr Metcalf suffered 47% burns and was in a coma for 4 weeks. He then had to endure a further 6 weeks in an intensive care unit.
A HSE inspector went on to say that he was ‘astonished’ that the work was allowed to go ahead without shutting down the factories electricity. This is said to be the direct cause of the accident. It was because of this that the HSE were so harsh in their reprimanding of the company, hoping that such a severe punishment would act as an example to potential future offenders, and remind them of the importance of following the principles of health and safety down to the letter.