Prosecutions
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted his employer after an investigation revealed he had been told the cable did not have power running through it.
The 42-year-old was thrown across the room and knocked unconscious by the 230 volt electric shock. Trafford Magistrates' Court was told the worker, who has asked not to be named, has suffered serious psychological harm as a result of the incident.
The court heard that the company had been refurbishing an old farm house as part of a project to build a cluster of new houses in Pemberton. The worker had been employed as a casual labourer on the site and was working in the cellar at the time of the incident on 12 November 2010.
The HSE investigation found that a construction plan, prepared ahead of the building work starting, had identified live electricity cables as being a potential danger. But the company did not check existing cables to see if they were live or properly isolated.
Inspectors also discovered that a gas pipe, serving a neighbouring property, had been damaged by a digger more than two months earlier, on 25 August 2010.
The company admitted two breaches of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and one breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
The charges were brought after the company failed to plan and manage the construction work safely, failed to locate and check existing gas and electricity services, and failed to ensure the safety of workers.
The company was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £2,095 in prosecution costs on 23 December 2011.
Speaking after the hearing the investigating inspector from the HSE said:
"This was a serious incident which has left one worker with psychological scarring, but it could easily have resulted in several people being badly injured or even killed.
"Building firms carrying out work on sites where there are existing power supplies must make sure they are located and tested before starting work.
"It's astonishing that the company failed to do this, especially after a gas pipe was damaged on the site more than two months before the incident because the company hadn't carried out the proper checks."