Trainee electricity worker burned after 'risks not managed'

A trainee was working on an electricity transformer when he was badly burned. Photo / File

A trainee worker was seriously burned because the risks of working near live electricity were not assess or controlled, WorkSafe says.

Two Northpower employees were doing maintenance work on roadside transformers in Karori, Wellington, in May when a bracket fell onto live contacts causing an electrical short and a flashover.

The victim sustained serious burns that needed specialist treatment in the burns unit.

WorkSafe today revealed failures by Northpower and Wellington Electricity, which hired it.

They included a work plan that lacked clear instructions to prompt workers to stop if they encountered increased risks or conditions that were different to what was in the work plan; not shutting off the power before any maintenance work was undertaken at this site; and not documenting their hazard assessments in one place, such as the work plan that was available to the workers.

"This should not happen,' said WorkSafe chief inspector Keith Stewart.

"Working near live components is a well-known hazard in the industry, and risks should be appropriately managed to protect the workers."

Each company was charged under section 163D of the Electricity Act 1992 with intentionally or negligently causing or permitting work to be done in a manner dangerous to life.

Wellington Electricity Limited was fined $26,000 and Northpower was fined $30,000.

The two companies had previously voluntarily paid the worker $20,000 after a restorative justice hearing.

Wellington Electricity was ordered to pay a further $4030 and Northpower a further $6000 in reparations to the worker, bringing total reparations to $30,030.