Scottish Engineering Company Found Liable For Electrocution

The BBC reports that a Scottish Engineering Company has been found liable for the death of a man who electrocuted on the job:

A Scottish engineering company is facing a substantial fine following the death of an electrician on a construction site in Dundee.

Mitie Engineering Services (Edinburgh) Ltd has been found guilty of breaching health and safety laws.

Michael Adamson, 26, from Bo’ness, was killed while working on a live wire which had been marked “not in use” at a JJB fitness centre in 2005.

The company will be sentenced at Dundee Sheriff Court next week.

More reporting on the case from Construction News UK:

The Dundee Sheriff Court heard that, despite being labelled ‘not in use’, the cable he was working on was live.

HSE principal inspector Jim Skilling said Mr Adamson was not provided with the necessary test equipment to prove the cable was dead, nor the means to securely isolate the circuit.

Mr Skilling, commenting after the case, said: “The industry’s complacency in accepting dangerous practices is startling.

“Michael Adamson’s death could have been prevented had his employer ensured that safe working practices were being carried out in accordance with the company’s own written procedures. Managers and supervisors in this industry must take active steps to ensure that their electricians work safely.”

The company was ultimately fined 300,000 British pounds (about $500,000).