East Sussex hospital fined £8,000 after cleaner is badly injured

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is urging hospitals to ensure that where electrical equipment is used in a damp environment, that suitable protective devices are used, after a hospital employee suffered severe injuries whilst operating a steam cleaner at work.

At Hastings Magistrates’ Court today, East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust pleaded guilty and was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £8,466.71 for breaching the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. 

This follows an investigation by the HSE at the Conquest Hospital in St Leonards-On-Sea, after a cleaner suffered an electric shock from a steam cleaner. The injuries he received required surgery, and he is now unable to use his right hand. He also suffers severe headaches, deterioration in his eyesight and numbness to his face, which has had a substantial impact on his life.

Despite the manufacturer’s instruction clearly recommending the use of a Residual Current Device (RCD) with the steam cleaner, the Trust failed to supply an RCD.  This device cuts the flow of electricity and mitigates the harm caused by an electric shock. 

HSE inspector Liz Smith said:

"As a result of the hospital failing to adequately assess the risks inherent in operating the steam cleaner, the victim suffered a significant number of injuries including the loss of use of his right hand.

"It is well known that electricity and water do not mix and there is an increased risk of an electric shock or even death. An effective means to protect against the effects of an electric shock is to provide an RCD, which is cheap and widely available, and may save a life. If the Trust had provided an RCD, the victim would not have suffered such significant injuries, which have affected his life.

"Hospitals need to assess the risks from all electrical equipment, but particularly equipment that is used in a wet environment, and put in place suitable measures, such as RCDs, to protect their employees, as a way of reducing the risk of incidents like this happening".