Leisure Operator Fined After Fatal Floodlight Electric Shock

Brief Summary

A man died after contacting a floodlight while climbing a fence at a five a side football pitch. The investigation found worn and faulty wiring and long standing failure to inspect, maintain, and repair the equipment, including after an earlier electric shock incident involving the same floodlight. The employer pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety law and was fined and ordered to pay costs.

What Was The Incident?

On 17 January 2016, a man playing five a side football at a leisure centre in Portsmouth climbed a fence to retrieve a ball after it went out of play. While doing so, he made contact with a floodlight and received a fatal electric shock. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead later that day.

What Was The Outcome?

The Health and Safety Executive investigation found the incident was caused by worn and faulty wiring in the floodlight. The employer had failed to properly inspect and maintain the floodlight and the failing had been present for several years. There had also been a previous incident reported to the leisure centre a month before the death, when an off duty police officer suffered an electric shock from the same equipment. The employer pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £60,000 with costs of £40,000.

Key Points To Consider

Maintain electrical equipment to prevent danger. Electrical equipment should be kept in a safe condition so that risk of electric shock is prevented, so far as is reasonably practicable, for anyone who may come into contact with it.

Fix known faults promptly. Where equipment is identified as being in poor condition, faults must be properly assessed and remedied rather than left in place for ongoing use.

Act on warning signs from prior incidents. Reports of electric shocks involving the same equipment should trigger immediate investigation and corrective action, not simply further monitoring.

Manage ageing infrastructure as a live risk. Long standing defects indicate weaknesses in risk management for ageing site infrastructure, so inspections and maintenance systems must be effective and risk based.

Use robust inspection and maintenance systems. Failures to inspect and maintain key electrical systems can create fatal hazards, so employers need inspection and maintenance arrangements that reliably detect deterioration and drive repairs.

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