A tree surgeon said he thought he “was going to die” when he suffered a powerful electric shock from an overhead line while clearing hedges in Wiltshire.
Joshua Pocknell was working just after midnight on the A3102 near Royal Wootton Bassett when the mobile lighting tower he was pushing touched an 11,000 volt overhead powerline.
The 26-year-old was seriously injured and taken to hospital, where he spent the next five weeks, workplace watchdog the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said.
“My whole body locked and I felt hot and cramping,” Mr Pocknell said of the shock.
“I could hear the electricity in my head and thought I was going to die.
“I hit the floor and passed out, still cramping.
“I later discovered a hole had burnt through my arm and hip all the way to the bone.”
More than two years after the incident on January 19 2024, the tree surgeon said he still experiences “considerable pain”.
“My injuries were complex and challenging and there were five or six different surgeons involved in my treatment,” he said.
“I still experience considerable pain and strange bodily sensations, including nerve pain and itching.
“This incident has torn the life from beneath me and I don’t think I will be able to return to the job that I used to love.”
The regulator said it investigated the incident and found Mr Pocknell’s employer, Upton Specialised Tree Services, did not properly plan for or risk assess the dangers posed by overhead power lines.
The firm did not put up barriers or provide training in operating the mobile lighting tower.
Upton Specialised Tree Services pleaded guilty to the charge of breaching Regulation 14 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 by virtue of Regulation 3, the HSE said, and was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £6,237 in costs at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
HSE inspector Tom Preston said: “Joshua is lucky to be alive.
“Overhead electrical power lines present extreme risks to workers, but the risks can and must be controlled.
“Work near overhead power lines should only be carried out where it can be done safely, following a suitable risk assessment, the use of barriers or safety zones, and proper training on the equipment being used.
“In this case, a worker sustained severe injuries in a traumatic incident for all concerned that was entirely preventable.
“HSE will take action against those who fail to take the steps necessary to protect people at work.”
