Hawkes Bay Networks Fined for Sub-station Accident - Media Statement
[ Last Updated 27 September 2007 ]
Hawkes Bay Networks was fined $5,000 and ordered to pay reparation of $5,000 to the victim in the Hastings District Court today for breaching the Electricity Regulations 1997 by failing to secure an electrical substation "against access by an unauthorised person". Hawkes Bay Networks pleaded guilty to the offence.
In January last year, a young Wakatu child, Taikura Johnson Waera, was seriously hurt when he put his hand into an unlocked substation at the side of the road. He received severe burns and is still undergoing treatment.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs' Energy Safety, the government agency responsible for helping safeguard people and property from the dangers of gas and electricity, investigated the incident and undertook the prosecution.
Energy Safety Operations Manager Graham Boxall said "This conviction sends a clear message to electricity network companies to secure their electrical assets at all times. Energy Safety expects substations in the public domain to be secure against public access. We will continue to take enforcement action, as appropriate, to ensure ongoing compliance with this requirement."
"We are, however, pleased that Hawkes Bay Networks reviewed the security of its whole system immediately following the accident to Taikura to ensure the safety of its network. As a result the company checked the locks on all substations and placed warning signs on them."
Energy Safety is also working with all network companies to develop suitable guidelines for the industry to follow, identifying safety risks associated with assets in the public domain and ways to better protect the public from harm.
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