Contractor fined £35,000 after worker injured at Hellaby Hall Hotel

The 22-year-old employee of AR Signs Ltd was using a breaker tool to dig posts at Hellaby Hall Hotel.

He hit a mains electricity cable — causing a large flash — and suffered burns to his arms and face.

No diagram or ground scanner was used to determine where cables might be, a Health and Safety Executive investigation found, and no training had been given on using the tool.

AR Signs, based in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.

The firm was also ordered to pay £2,475.80 costs by Sheffield Magistrates’ Court in relation to the September 2017 incident.

HSE inspector Sarah Robinson said: “This wholly avoidable incident was caused by the failure of the company to appropriately plan and execute a safe system of work while fitting the signs.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”