Plastics Company Fined over Bad Electrical Systems

A plastics manufacturer has found itself in trouble recently after it was discovered that the production site had dangerous electrical fittings.

The Health and Safety Executive found serious problems with the construction and maintenance of the electrical system after it had been investigating a different issue entirely.

The company was taken to the Magistrates Court where it was reported that inspectors had found live 400v cables hanging from the wall, a broken socket with a 400v cable coiled on the floor, fused spurs and electrical switches hanging off single core cabling leaving the live 230v wiring exposed and guards had been removed from a plastic forming machine, exposing the heating elements.

The Court heard that the electrical system was of immediate and considerable danger to those working on the premises and that HSE had served three Prohibition Notices ordering them to carry out major improvements.

The Court subsequently fined the company £10,000 and a further £5,930 in costs after they admitted being guilty of breaching the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.

HSE inspector, Saffron Turnell, said that the electrical systems at the company were terrible and it was very lucky that no one was injured or killed. Employers must take their duty of care seriously where electricity is concerned and this includes those companies whose main work is not directly with electricity. It is vital to ensure that workers are able to carry out jobs safely and not have their lives put at risk.

Written by Sara Thomson