Upton Specialised Tree Services Fined £60,000 After Electrocution

Joshua Pocknell suffered electrocution on the A3102 near Royal Wootton Bassett just after midnight on January 19, 2024, when his mobile lighting tower struck an 11,000 volt overhead powerline. The tree surgeon was left with life-threatening burns and later spent five weeks in hospital.

He said, "My whole body locked and I felt hot and cramping." Pocknell added, "I could hear the electricity in my head and thought I was going to die."

Joshua Pocknell injuries

Pocknell said, "I hit the floor and passed out, still cramping." He later discovered the damage had gone through his arm and hip to the bone, and he continues to suffer nerve pain and unusual sensations months later. In another account of the aftermath, he said, "My injuries were complex and challenging and there were five or six different surgeons involved in my treatment. I still experience considerable pain and strange bodily sensations, including nerve pain and itching. This incident has torn the life from beneath me and I don't think I will be able to return to the job that I used to love,"

Upton Specialised Tree Services

Upton Specialised Tree Services was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £6,237 in costs by Bristol Magistrates' Court. The Health and Safety Executive found the company breached Regulation 14 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 after it failed to provide barriers, safety zones or proper training for operating the mobile lighting tower near overhead powerlines.

Tom Preston on the risk

HSE inspector Tom Preston said, "Joshua is lucky to be alive." He also said, "Overhead electrical power lines present extreme risks to workers, but the risks can and must be controlled. Work near overhead power lines should only be carried out where it can be done safely, following a suitable risk assessment, the use of barriers or safety zones, and proper training on the equipment being used." Preston added, "In this case, a worker sustained severe injuries in a traumatic incident for all concerned that was entirely preventable."

For workers and employers, the court outcome makes the duty plain: use the risk assessment, barriers or safety zones, and proper training before a lighting tower is used near overhead powerlines. HSE said it will take action against those who fail to take the steps necessary to protect people at work.