A power worker has claimed there was a “prolonged and intense” failure of equipment at a Huddersfield substation where a colleague was injured in an explosion and fire.
He contacted the Examiner anonymously to voice his concerns after the incident at Hill Top Road in Paddock which left a man needing hospital treatment.
He said: “Some of the assets that form part of the electricity system are no longer inspected or maintained by their owners on a regular basis. The failure of the equipment seemed prolonged and intense, engulfing the substation in fire and smoke.”
But Northern Powergrid has refuted his claims and says the substation is subject to an annual inspection, last held in September.
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The injured man suffered burns to his head and the effects of breathing in smoke. He was dealing with a power cut which was affecting about 35 homes and businesses in Paddock when residents heard a loud bang a week last Sunday.
He was trapped inside the building for about 10 minutes until he was rescued by firefighters who arrived to find his colleagues from Northern Powergrid battling the fire with extinguishers.
The man needed hospital treatment and is now recovering at home.
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Geoff Earl, Northern Powergrid’s director of safety, health and environment, said: “This substation had been inspected last September and was found to be safe, secure and in good order.
“Incidents of this type are extremely rare and we’re continuing with our in-depth investigation to understand exactly what happened.
The air ambulance in Paddock after the explosion which left a worker injured
"Our employee is now recuperating at home with our full support and we know the leading-edge safety clothing and equipment we invested in for all our staff did what it should – protecting him from a more serious or fatal injury.
“Our employees are highly trained and encouraged to raise their concerns relating to any safety issues they may have
"They are empowered to ‘stop the job’ at any time should any situation present danger.
"We also have ways for our employees to anonymously raise any concerns and have not received any alerts regarding this incident so it’s disappointing that one of our people has chosen to contact the media before the full facts of the incident have been investigated."
