An HGV driver suffered third degree burns when the grab arm on his tipper struck an 11kV overhead powerline and he received an electric shock.
The horticultural company he was delivering to at the time has now been fined £3,000 for failing to provide information and instructions on risks, including locations of overhead power lines and what precautions to take.
The driver had been delivering hardcore to Plants Galore Horticulture in Roydon when the grab arm hit the power line which ran across the yard.
The health and safety executive (HSE) said he then exited his truck cab, believing he had struck a telephone cable and in doing so received an electric shock while holding the handle of the door when his feet touched the ground.
The driver suffered third degree burns and required multiple skin grafts for injuries to his right forearm, right and left foot, and just above his right knee.
He also had exposed tendons in his right forearm and had amputations of the fourth and fifth toes on his left foot.
An HSE investigation found Plants Galore had failed to erect ground-level barriers to establish a safety zone to keep people and machinery away from the powerlines.
The HSE said an exclusion zone of three metres around the 11kV wires should also have been adhered to.
The company pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court to breaching the health and safety at work act and as well as the fine, it was ordered to pay costs of £4,000.
