Unclear if Shock Incident was Health and Safety Issue
A man was taken to the hospital after suffering an electric shock during work at a property in Hove. The workman was shocked when he touched an underground cable on Brunswick Street. He is currently 30 years old and fighting for his life due to the shock.
The man is in critical condition at the hospital after suffering from burns. He was transported by ambulance to Royal Sussex County Hospital. The HSE has been informed of the incident. This will trigger health and safety audits of the incident.
The workman was not employed at UK Power Networks, which operates the cable system the young man touched. He was employed by a third party that has not been divulged to the media. A spokesman stated the electricity was cut off to those in the area because repairs were being carried out, but for some reason the cable the young man touched was still live.
The HSE is going to have to find out what occurred to cause such an incident and determine if there are any culpable parties. For now, there is no information as to whether there were health and safety breaches, but the HSE is going to do a full-scale investigation to determine it one way or the other. Often investigations will last a year or two before decisions will be made, to prosecute depending on the situation. A clear-cut case may lend the answer sooner so that the family and young man can recover.
