A landlord services company has been fined after a joiner received an electric shock during maintenance work at a property.

Berneslai Homes, based at Gateway Plaza, Barnsley, pleaded guilty to a breach of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 4(3).

It was fined £7,500 with over £8,500 in costs.

Barnsley Magistrates Court was told Berneslai Homes is responsible for managing 18,800 homes on behalf of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council.


The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out an investigation following an incident involving a joiner who worked for the company.

The employee received an electric shock while replacing a wooden garden fence around a domestic property in Barnsley on 26 November 2013.

The injured worker had struck an underground electric cable with a metal spade while excavating a post hole.

The shock did not cause any last damage to the joiner. However, the court was told that such incidents can pose a risk of fatal injury.

The court found that the Company had failed to ensure the safety of their employee, in that work carried out near an electrical system was not planned in order to minimise the risk of a cable strike.

(LM/MH)