Switchgear fine slashed

Prosecutions and Claims |
08.11.2007

Switchgear Engineering Services, which was ordered to pay £70,000 in fines and costs after the electrocution of an employee, has had the penalties cut to £20,000 on appeal.

The company had pleaded guilty alongside steelmaker Corus and its contractor Alsthom to failing to protect Graham Mallard who died while working at Corus' Scunthorpe plant in 2003.

The appeal judges found that the Crown Court judge in May had been unfair to set Switchgear such a large penalty when Corus and Alsthom should have borne more of the responsibility for not issuing Mallard with adequate instructions for carrying out his work safely.