Willand O&M Ltd and New Wave Marine Ltd were sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on 3rd 聽March 2026 following an incident at an anaerobic digestion facility nearly six years ago.
On 1st June 2020 at the Willand Biogas site in Cullompton, Devon, Carl Parsons, 34, was electrocuted and colleague Luke Madavan was left with life-changing injuries.
The court heard that New Wave Marine had been contracted by Willand O&M to lift the lid of a biodigester and stir a crust blockage that had accumulated inside the tank. During this work, a cherry picker operated by New Wave Marine struck an overhead powerline. The electrical current passed through the metal basket, killing Carl Parsons and causing a serious electric shock to Luke Madavan.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that Willand O&M had been advised by its contractor and by Western Power Distribution to move the overhead powerline. Doing so would have eliminated the risk of contact during both the build and foreseeable future maintenance. Willand O&M failed to act on this advice and put no adequate control measures in place, such as height restrictors on cherry pickers or restricted work areas. Supervision, monitoring and site induction were also found to be poor.
New Wave Marine鈥檚 risk assessment was found to be neither suitable nor sufficient. The company also lacked formal training provision and adequate supervision for the work being carried out.
Willand O&M Ltd of Cleave Farm, Station Road, Willand, Cullompton, Devon, pleaded guilty to an offence under Regulation 3(1)(a) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 by virtue of Regulation 14, having failed to ensure that persons carrying out work at the site were not working on or near a live conductor without reasonable and suitable precautions in place to prevent injury. The company, which went into liquidation in 2024, was fined 拢51,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of 拢28,467.
New Wave Marine Ltd pleaded guilty to offences under Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It was fined 拢30,000 with prosecution costs of 拢8,000.
HSE inspector Nicole Buchanan said: 鈥淲orking underneath overhead powerlines is inherently unsafe and these risks should be eliminated wherever possible. There is a risk that workers operating equipment could either make direct contact with the electrical source or be exposed to electricity arcing over several metres and travelling through the basket. The electricity network will provide guidance and assist in moving lines or burying them underground to prevent incidents. Companies should always seek competent health and safety advice and ensure their staff are adequately trained.鈥�