Employee sustained broken shoulders when testing a incorrectly wired appliance

An employee sustained a 240 volt electric shock that broke both shoulders whilst attempting to test a newly manufactured appliance that had been incorrectly wired to the mains lead. Suitable precautions had not been taken to prevent electrical injury to employees engaged in testing work on electrical appliances. Employees were exposed to live wires at 240 Volts ac, there was exposed metal in the test area, there was no PAT test of mains lead prior to live test and no risk assessment for electrical testing work.

Action

The employers were prosecuted under The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (No 14), The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 (No 3) paragraph 1 and received a fine.

Comment

The correct procedures should be used when powering up electrical equipment for the first time so that the risks arising from incorrect assembly are minimised. The procedures should be based on an assessment of the foreseeable faults and the actions necessary to prevent faults from giving rise to danger. Employees should be instructed how to use the procedures, and the effectiveness of the procedures should be reassessed regularly, or where there is a change that could give rise to additional risks.

The free downloadable leaflets Safety in electrical testing at work[72] and Safety in electrical testing: Servicing and repair of domestic equipment[73] provides guidance on how workers can stay safe when undertaking electrical testing at work.

Link URLs in this page

  1. Electrical safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/index.htm
  2. Overview - HSE electrical safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/hse.htm
  3. How we work https://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/how.htm
  4. Who we are https://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/who.htm
  5. Contactshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/contacts.htm
  6. Electrical injurieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/injuries.htm
  7. Overview - Simple precautionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/precautions.htm
  8. Work near electricityhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/nearelectric.htm
  9. Excavation and underground serviceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/excavations.htm
  10. Overhead power lineshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/overhead.htm
  11. Work using electrically powered equipmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/electricequip.htm
  12. Work on electrical equipment, machinery or installationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/withequip.htm
  13. Maintaining electrical equipmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/safety.htm
  14. Electricity in potentially explosive atmosphereshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/explosive.htm
  15. Standards and codes of practicehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/standards.htm
  16. Electrical safety FAQshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/faq.htm
  17. Overview - Electricity in potentially explosive atmospheres FAQshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/index.htm
  18. General, guidance and enforcement issueshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/general.htm
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  21. Technical standardshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/standards.htm
  22. Existing equipment issueshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/existing.htm
  23. Imported productshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/imported.htm
  24. General issues and informationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/atex/issues.htm
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  26. Overview - Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/index.htm
  27. General health and safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/general.htm
  28. Inspection & testinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/testing.htm
  29. Maintenancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/maintenance.htm
  30. Constructionhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/construction.htm
  31. Farming/forestryhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/agriculture.htm
  32. Public placeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/public.htm
  33. Potentially explosive atmosphereshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/explosive.htm
  34. The lawhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/law.htm
  35. Other workplaceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/other.htm
  36. Linkshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/links.htm
  37. Overview - Accident case studieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/experience.htm
  38. Overview - Overhead power lineshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/index.htm
  39. Lorry driver suffers burnshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/lorry.htm
  40. Failing to warn driver of overhead lineshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/farmer.htm
  41. Failure to isolate power supplyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/isolate.htm
  42. Erecting a lighting towerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/under.htm
  43. Scaffolding contacting overhead linehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/scaffold.htm
  44. Moving tower scaffoldhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/overhead/painters.htm
  45. Overview - Electrical maintenancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/index.htm
  46. Changing an electrodehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/electrode.htm
  47. Touching live equipmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/touch.htm
  48. Incorrectly wired appliancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/appliance.htm
  49. Insulating live wireshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/insulate.htm
  50. Faulty air conditioning unithttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/aircondition.htm
  51. Live electrical panelhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/panel.htm
  52. Supply not been properly isolatedhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/isolate.htm
  53. Injuries result in amputationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/amputation.htm
  54. Switchgear not isolatedhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/switchgear.htm
  55. Induction heat treatment machinehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/heart.htm
  56. Poorly constructed equipmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/testing.htm
  57. Pressure water washing machinehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/washingmachine.htm
  58. Metal fencehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/fence.htm
  59. Incorrectly wiring a machinehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/wiring.htm
  60. Mail wrapping machinehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/maintenance/mail.htm
  61. Overview - Excavationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/index.htm
  62. Cable locatorhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/locator.htm
  63. Road breakerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/roadbreaker.htm
  64. Pneumatic impact molehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/mole.htm
  65. Pneumatic breakerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/breaker.htm
  66. Jackhammerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/jackhammer.htm
  67. Breaking concretehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/concrete.htm
  68. Gas pipes and electrical cableshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/excavations/digger.htm
  69. Overview - Ignition of potentially explosive atmosphereshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/explosive/index.htm
  70. Removing paint in a yachthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/explosive/paint.htm
  71. Cleaning electric stirrerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/explosive/clean.htm
  72. Safety in electrical testing at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg354.htm
  73. Safety in electrical testing: Servicing and repair of domestic equipmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/eis35.htm
  74. Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsr25.htm
  75. Electricity at work: Safe working practices https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg85.htm
  76. Safety in electrical testing at work https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg354.htm
  77. Safety in electrical testing: Servicing and repair of domestic appliances https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/eis35.htm
  78. HSE Bookshttps://books.hse.gov.uk/
  79. ESQCRhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/esqcr/index.htm
  80. incidentshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/esqcr/index.htm
  81. Construction industryhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/index.htm
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  85. Quarrieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/quarries/index.htm
  86. RIDDORhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/index.htm
  87. Statisticshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/index.htm

Glossary of abbreviations/acronyms on this page

ESQCR[79]
Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations

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Updated 2023-01-09