A Leeds company has been fined for safety failings after a trainee technician at the company needed hospital treatment along with skin grafts after receiving an electric shock while using unsafe testing equipment.

The twenty two year old technician spent five days in hospital with injuries both to his chest and arms after the incident took place at Wilson Power Solutions Ltd in Westland Square. Leeds Magistrate court heard that the trainee electrical technician had to get skin grafts to both of his hands while being out of work for a long period of time.

The Health and Safety Executive investigated Wilson Power Solutions after finding that the company had failed a number of safety measures in both the equipment that was provided for staff and in working practices.

It was believed that the trainee was testing a transformer but the equipment had exposed a conductor that gave of 415 volts. When the trainee touched the connected he received the shock and the HSE found that there was lower voltage equipment available but it was broken.

HSE also identified he had been working inside a test enclosure where the interlocking mechanism had been defeated so power was not cut off when he entered. In addition emergency stop buttons were broken and unusable

HSE served an enforcement notice on Wilson Power requiring improvements to be made to its safety measures and procedures.

Wilson Power Solutions Ltd of Westland Works, Westland Square, Leeds, was fined £6,500, with £647 in costs after admitting a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

After the case, HSE Inspector Julian Franklin said:

“This young trainee was given unsafe, inappropriate and poorly maintained equipment to test an electrical transformer with no training or supervision. As a result he suffered a painful injury because his employer displayed a serious disregard for safety in what can be a hazardous working environment.

“We found a range of safety features had been defeated or fallen into disrepair and the system of work in place at Wilson Power Solutions was sub-standard. The firm failed to ensure that risks from a known hazard were controlled and allowed equipment to fall into disrepair, resulting in a potentially life-threatening incident.”

For more information on health and safety at work visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/