Gavin Pugh, from Bangor in North Wales, was 35 at the time of the incident and employed as a linesman by Wood Transmission & Distribution Limited. He had been demolishing and replacing electricity pylons in East Staffordshire when he fell more than 30 ft on 6th April 2022.
Birmingham magistrates heard how Mr Pugh and his colleagues had begun working on a pylon known as Tower AE11 in preparation for its demolition. They were unaware there had been previous work to loosen the bolts on the tower – bolt cracking – undertaken by another team of linesmen. This work had not been risk assessed and there were no systems in place to effectively record and communicate what they had actually done.
In addition, the team that was sent to site that day was under-staffed. As the job progressed, Mr Pugh unknowingly attached his fall protection lanyard to a diagonal steel section that was only securely bolted in place at its uppermost fixing. As he moved around the tower, the steel section to which he was attached dropped into a vertical position, causing his lanyard to slip loose, resulting in him falling to the ground. He spent six months in hospital and has been left unable to work as a result of his extensive injuries.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that Wood Transmission & Distribution had failed to ensure that the work at height was properly planned, supervised, and carried out in a manner that was, so far as was reasonably practicable, safe. The company had not considered the work at height hierarchy as part of its planning and had not assessed the risks associated with bolt cracking. Furthermore, it had not adequately resourced the task in line with its own safety documentation, and had failed to put in place a process for transferring work between teams and ensuring safety critical information was recorded and communicated effectively.
Wood Transmission & Distribution Limited, of Booths Park, Chelford Road in Knutsford pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court on 12th April 2024 to breaching regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulation 2005. Subsequently on 17th July 2024 it was fined £240,000 and ordered to pay costs of £14,142.
HSE Inspector Robert Gidman said: “This tragic incident could have been prevented had Wood Transmission & Distribution Limited put in place adequate arrangements to protect its workers from harm. Proper assessment of the risks and consideration of work methods, adequate staffing, and clear procedures for transferring towers between teams could have enabled this work to go ahead without incident.
“Instead, because of the company’s shortcomings, a worker has sadly and unnecessarily been left paralysed.
“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”
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