A property development company based in Bristol has been prosecuted following the death of a plumber who was electrocuted whilst installing a washing machine.
The young plumber, 23 year old Danny Edwards, had been working on the appliance in a house in Clifton in Bristol when the tragedy occurred.
The Health and safety Executive brought legal prosecutions against the company at Bristol Magistrates Court.
The court was told that the socket which powered the washing machine had been wired incorrectly. However, the electrics in the kitchen had previously been signed off as safe by the property development company despite the danger.
The fault was found to be with the live and earth wires being installed in the socket incorrectly which caused the washing machine to become live when plugged in. Danny Edwards had touched the metal casing at the back of the washing machine causing a massive electric shock to his body.
Despite the tragedy and the fact that the fault should have been picked up during testing, it was not discovered who had actually carried out the wiring in the first place. The four electricians who had been working on that particular house denied working on the faulty socket and declared that they could not remember who had carried out the wiring.
The family of the young plumber reported of their disappointment at this verdict and uttered their disbelief that whoever had carried out the faulty wiring was essentially “getting away with it.”
The property development company was found guilty, despite their plea of innocence, of breaching the Electricity at Work Regulations section 4 and 16 and the Health and Safety at Work Act section 2 and was fined £125,000 and costs of £50,000.
Written by Sara Thomson
