Employee wins accident claim

An employee who was badly burnt after coming into contact with 11,000 votes in a work accident has seen the company he worked for prosecuted.

Powersystems UK Ltd, which is based in Badminton Road, Yate, was instructed to pay costs of £8,000 and was a fine of £5,000 at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought the firm to court after Stephen Martin Edwards suffered a work injury on September 18th 2009.

On that day Mr Edwards, a 52-year-old high voltage cable jointer, was employed in Stroud, where he was connecting a circuit breaker attached to a ring main unit to a transformer under supervision.

The employee, of Bedminster, Bristol, received a work injury when he was accidentally told to open a box with live terminals inside, causing the current to set fire to his clothing.

HSE inspector Dawn Lawrence said: "The failings by Powersystems which led to Mr Edwards' injury could easily have been avoided."

In addition, another worker recently won a personal injury claim after injuring their hand at a London bagel factory. Ixxy's Bagels, of Harley Street, London, was prosecuted as a result of the work accident involving Raakeesh Patel, of Harrow.

Published by Hannah Carr