Haulage Firm Fined £150,000 Following Fatal Electrocution Incident.
An East Lothian-based haulage firm has been hit with a substantial fine of £150,000 after a tragic incident in which a driver lost his life due to electrocution from overhead power lines. Grant Borton, a 25-year-old LGV driver, was washing his vehicle in preparation for his next shift at Andrew Black Ltd’s Drem Airfield premises when the accident occurred.
On December 31, 2021, after leaving the wash bay, Mr. Borton inadvertently raised the tipper, leading to contact with the overhead power lines. The result was a fatal electrocution, leaving the young driver dead. An investigation carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the absence of adequate control measures was the primary cause of the electrocution.
The HSE findings highlighted several failures on the part of Andrew Black Ltd. The company had neglected to conduct a risk assessment concerning the potential hazards posed by overhead power lines on the premises. Additionally, there were insufficient means to alert drivers exiting the wash bay about the presence of the power lines. The existing warning signs were faded, illegible, and located in the wrong direction, making them invisible to drivers leaving the bay. According to one of the HSE specialist reports, the company should have either contacted Scottish Power to bury the lines or implemented proper signage and road markings to establish an exclusion zone as a risk management measure.
Following the incident, Andrew Black Ltd took corrective action and buried all overhead power lines on their site. Nevertheless, the company faced legal consequences for their negligence. On July 4, at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, the company pleaded guilty to the charge of failing to implement suitable controls for work conducted in proximity to dangerous overhead power lines between November 15, 2021, and January 5, 2022. The court imposed a fine of £150,000 on the company.
Debbie Carroll, responsible for health and safety investigations at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), expressed regret over the avoidable circumstances that led to Grant Borton’s tragic death. She emphasized that Andrew Black Ltd’s failure to establish adequate controls endangered their employees, putting them at risk of electrocution. The prosecution aims to serve as a reminder to employers that disregarding reasonable health and safety measures can have fatal consequences, and they will be held accountable for such negligence.
