Contractor hurt in warehouse explosion

Photo by SIMON LEE on Unsplash 

On 22 September 2018, an electrician was using a metal spanner to repair an electrical fault at B&M Retail warehouse, in Speke. The spanner he was using came into contact with a live busbar (metallic strip) linked to the power distribution causing an electrical explosion.

The 35-year-old electrician sustained serious injuries which included burns to his arms, hands, thighs, legs, and face. He was placed in an induced coma for two weeks and had to undergo several skin grafts.

The victim said: “I am very conscious of the scars and always think people are staring at me or talking about me behind my back.

“To me, my arms look like Freddy Kruger’s from Nightmare on Elm Street.”

A HSE investigation found that the victim, who was employed by Daker, had been attempting to connect a generator to B&M’s Low Voltage supply in order to allow B&M to operate some of its core site functions whilst high voltage maintenance was being undertaken. This work was complex involving several contractors and required co-ordination of different working parties with specific time limited requirements. There was insufficient planning between parties beforehand including who was in charge of each site, coordination of work and exchange of relevant documentation.

B&M failed to appoint a suitably competent person to plan and carry out the work to connect temporary generators to their distribution board at the premises. B&M Retail was fined £1 million.

For more information, visit www.hse.gov.uk