Fencing contractor fined after worker hits live underground cable

Liverpool-based City Fencing Contractors Ltd has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay over £5,000 in costs after an employee suffered an electric shock and burns from striking a live underground cable.

59-year-old Paul Taylor was working as part of a team installing security fencing on a construction site in Manchester in 2024 when the incident happened, using a breaker to dig into the ground in preparation.

The father-of-three struck a live underground cable, causing electric shock and multiple burn injuries to his stomach, chest, and arms.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that City Fencing Contractors Limited failed to implement suitable and sufficient controls to prevent risk from underground services.

The HSE says that a safe system of work has three basic elements – planning the work; detecting, identifying and marking underground services; safe excavation/safe digging practices.

• Careful planning and risk assessments are essential before the work starts, with risk assessments considering how the work is to be carried out, ensuring local circumstances are taken into account.
• Plans or other suitable information about all buried services in the area should be obtained and reviewed before any excavation work starts, though plans give only an indication of the location, and number of underground services at a particular site - it is essential that a competent person traces cables using suitable locating devices.
• Before work begins, underground cables must be located, identified, and clearly marked, while excavation work should be carried out carefully and follow recognised safe digging practices.

The HSE has published further guidance on excavation work and underground services here: Excavation and underground services – HSE

HSE inspector, John Padfield, said:

“Underground services are widespread and represent a significant risk.

“It is important measures are taken to identify them before any excavation work is undertaken.

“On this occasion, an electrical cable was struck and an operative suffered severe burns.

“However, it could have been much worse and potentially fatal. Had the company implemented an effective safe system of work following HSE guidance, this incident would not have occurred.”