Rail horror firms fined

May 13 2008 By Paul Beard

THREE rail companies who were responsible for an incident more than four years ago when a Midland worker suffered horrific injuries have been fined £200,000 each.

Richard McBride was one of three men working on an over-head electric line at Marston Green during modernisation work to the West Coast route in July 2003.

He narrowly avoided death but suffered "terrible injuries" and his lower leg had to be amputated after he received a massive 25,000 volt shock from a still live cable.

Rugby-based Elec-Track Installations Ltd, which employed the three men, pleaded guilty through its barrister Stephen Killalea QC to failing to discharge its duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

The charge detailed that the firm, now called Hythe Realisations, failed to ensure the safety of its employees while they were working on overhead rail lines.

Balfour-Beatty and GT Rail Maintenance, which had formed a joint venture to carry out the work, entered guilty pleas to failing to ensure that persons not employed by them were not exposed to risk.

Richard Matthews, prosecuting for HM Inspector of Railways, said that during work to upgrade the overhead line equipment on the West Coast route a team of workers began work on the lines at Marston Green.

There was then a sound "like an explosion" and Mr McBride was struck by 25,000 volts, Coventry Crown Court heard.