AN ENERGY company has been fined £60,000 after one of its employees was electrocuted and killed.
Philip Hartley, 50, was killed while carrying out routine work on an electricity pole at Middleton-on-the-Wolds, near Driffield, in September 2001.
Hull Crown Court was told the married father died after receiving an 11,000 volt shock.
His death occurred due to the failure of a piece of equipment known as a Line Section Isolator.
But the court was told the "primary failure" was a "lack of robust management systems" by Yorkshire Electricity Distribution Services Ltd.
Prosecutor Simon Parrington told the court the accident occurred as Mr Hartley carried out the work in a raised bucket.
He said: "It was assumed by all that the line was isolated dead and the line was safe."
But the court was told engineers were carrying out fault finding work on another part of the network and as Mr Hartley carried out his repairs the line became "energised" again.
Mr Parrington added: "It should never be assumed that the Line Section Isolator was operating correctly and there should have been management systems in place to prevent this.
"This was not the case. Danger arose because inadequate management systems allowed unsafe working practices to persist."
Yorkshire Electricity Distribution Services Ltd were sentenced after earlier admitting one count of failing to ensure the safety of an employee.
