Balfour Beatty fined £180,000 after electrocution

21 February 2007
ORR/04/07

Balfour Beatty Rail Infrastructure Services Limited was today fined £180,000 and ordered to pay £73,602.41 costs at Winchester Crown Court.

The company pleaded guilty to a criminal charge brought by the Office of Rail Regulation following the fatal electrocution of a track worker at Oakley, Hampshire.

On 7 August 2003, Jason Pepall, aged 29 and employed as a lookout, was electrocuted when he came into contact with live rails. He was employed by McGinley Recruitment Services Limited, under contract to Balfour Beatty.

Commenting on the fine today, Steven Bliss, Her Majesty’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Railways, said:

“This is a tragic accident, which should have been avoided. As a result of this accident, new procedures were put in place in December 2003.

ORR are fully supportive of these changes and will work with our industry partners to further improve health and safety.”

Balfour Beatty pleaded guilty to a breach of section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which requires an employer to ensure so far as reasonably practicable the health, safety and welfare at work of its employees.

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