CASE THREE
Page 16
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Council fined after machines hit power lines
POWYS COUNTY Council has been ined £9,300 after council employees, agency workers and passersby narrowly avoided electrocution on two occasions when machines collecting recycled material struck overhead power lines.
In a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution, Brecon Magistrates’ Court was told how staff were using kerbside collection vehicles that tip and empty material into lorries. The incidents – in June and October 2010 at Lluest and Tudor Street in Ystradgynlais respectively – occurred when the vehicles struck low-voltage lines during tipping and sent them crashing to the ground.
Powys County Council pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was ined £3,300. The authority also pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the same act and was ined a further £6,000.
HSE inspector Helen Jones said: “Lessons should have been learned after the irst incident, but they weren’t. It is disappointing that it took a further near-miss for appro priate action to be taken. Following the second incident, the council stopped using the vehicles in question and introduced a different system for collecting recycled material from the kerbside.”
Failure to employ measures
Powys County Council failed to take all reasonably practicable measures to avoid the vehicles coming into contact with overhead lines, which could have had tragic consequences.