Hours fine for Norweb
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by Mike Jewell • One of Britain's privatised electricity companies has admitted that its managers were so ignorant of drivers' hours rules that it scheduled illegal shifts.
Norweb has been fined £11,250 by Bolton Magistrates after pleading guilty to permitting breaches of the drivers' hours regulations.
The company, of Middleton Road, Chadderton, admitted nine offences of permitting Paul Francis Heywood to exceed the maximum working day of 11 hours. For Norweb, Gary Parr conceded that management had been unaware of the limits and had scheduled 12-hour shifts.
Heywood, of Kilburn Street, Oldham, admitted nine offences of exceeding the maximum working day but was given an absolute discharge.
John Heaton, prosecuting, said that Norweb's vehicles were subject to the domestic driving code because they were used in connection with the electricity service. The offences were discovered in May at a Department of Transport checkpoint.
Because these were not European provisions Heywood was not required to operate a tachograph but he was required to keep a written record. An examination of that record showed that on a number of occasions he had exceeded 11 hours in a working day. Norweb had a copy of Heywood's log book so it was aware of the offences. Only nine of the 22 offences discovered were being prosecuted.
Heywood had not known what the permitted driving and working limits were, said Heaton. He had said: "We just need some guidance from somebody in the know."
Parr said the company deeply regretted this embarrassing incident. He stressed that Norweb accepted full responsibility for the offences, adding that prior to these offences the company had undergone a reorganisation. Drivers were sent on external HGV courses and in the past those courses had covered the legal aspects of the regulations. None of the managers of the reorganised business had experience of the transport regulations and they decided to establish shifts of 12 hours.
At no time had Heywood exceeded the driving hours limit of 10 hours—the offences arose from carrying out general duties before and after his driving.
The magistrates fined Norweb £1,250 for each offence and ordered both the company and Heywood to pay towards the costs of the prosecution.