Geomechanics.io

  • Free Tools
Sign UpLog In

Geomechanics.io

Geomechanics, Streamlined.

© 2026 Geomechanics.io. All rights reserved.

Geomechanics.io

CMRR-ioGEODB-ioHYDROGEO-ioQCDB-ioFree Tools & CalculatorsBlogLatest Industry News

Industries

MiningConstructionTunnelling

Company

Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyLinkedIn
    Safety
    Failure

    Devon power line fatality: safety and risk control lessons for project teams

    March 9, 2026|

    Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

    Devon power line fatality: safety and risk control lessons for project teams

    First reported on The Construction Index

    30 Second Briefing

    Two firms have been fined after a cherry picker struck an 11kV overhead powerline at the Willand Biogas anaerobic digestion site in Cullompton, Devon on 1 June 2020, killing 34-year-old Carl Parsons and leaving colleague Luke Madavan with life-changing injuries. Willand O&M Ltd, advised by both its contractor and Western Power Distribution to divert or bury the line, failed to act or install controls such as height restrictors or exclusion zones, and was fined £51,000 plus £28,467 costs. New Wave Marine Ltd, whose risk assessment and supervision were deemed inadequate, was fined £30,000 with £8,000 costs.

    Technical Brief

    • HSE investigation focused on line routing decisions, work-at-height planning and adequacy of site-specific risk controls.
    • Willand O&M breached Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 Reg 3(1)(a) via Reg 14 by allowing work near live conductors without suitable precautions.
    • New Wave Marine’s failings were prosecuted under Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 Reg 3(1) and Work at Height Regulations 2005 Reg 4(1).
    • Identified missing controls included plant height restrictors, physical exclusion zones and robust site induction for overhead line hazards.
    • HSE noted arcing risk over several metres, meaning contact can occur without direct physical touch.
    • Ongoing operations near overhead lines should incorporate formal monitoring of work envelopes, supervision competence and periodic review of line diversion options.

    Our Take

    With 36 Hazards stories in our database, this United Kingdom case at the Willand Biogas site stands out as one of the few involving an anaerobic digestion facility rather than conventional construction or mining, signalling that power-line interface risks are now a live issue for smaller distributed energy assets.

    The nearly six‑year gap between the June 2020 incident at Willand Biogas and the 2026 Exeter sentencing mirrors other UK safety cases in our coverage where lengthy investigations and prosecutions have complicated lessons‑learned cycles for operators and contractors.

    Willand O&M’s liquidation in 2024, ahead of the 2026 court outcome, underlines a recurring pattern in our Hazards coverage where smaller service companies exposed to fatality investigations may not survive to implement remedial safety systems, leaving asset owners and incoming contractors to pick up the risk management legacy.

    Geotechnical Software for Modern Teams

    Centralise site data, logs, and lab results with GEODB-io, CMRR-io, and HYDROGEO-io.

    No credit card required.

    • Save and export unlimited calculations
    • Advanced data visualisation
    • Generate professional PDF reports
    • Cloud storage for all your projects

    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

    Related Articles

    Melbourne sinkhole investigations: geotechnical lessons for tunnel project teams
    Hazards
    in about 1 month

    Melbourne sinkhole investigations: geotechnical lessons for tunnel project teams

    A sinkhole roughly 8–10 m wide and several metres deep has opened on the AJ Burkitt Reserve sporting oval in Heidelberg, directly adjacent to the North East Link tunnel alignment in Melbourne’s northeast. Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority has confirmed the “surface hole” is in the vicinity of active tunnelling operations, leading to a work pause while engineers and emergency crews carry out geotechnical investigations and monitoring. No injuries or structural damage have been reported, but the area remains fully cordoned off pending cause determination and stability assessment.

    5,000 UK asbestos deaths a year: practical control lessons for project engineers
    Hazards
    4 days ago

    5,000 UK asbestos deaths a year: practical control lessons for project engineers

    Annual UK asbestos-related deaths of around 5,000, cited by removal specialist Rhodar, are being used to warn that ageing building stock still contains extensive legacy asbestos in insulation boards, sprayed coatings and pipe lagging. The warning targets civil and infrastructure works on schools, hospitals and 1960s–80s public buildings, where intrusive refurbishments, drilling and core sampling risk disturbing poorly documented asbestos-containing materials. Engineers are being urged to tighten pre-construction surveys, update asbestos registers and enforce licensed removal and enclosure protocols on all invasive works.

    Alaska 2025 glacier‑linked megatsunami: hazard lessons for fjord engineers
    Hazards
    8 days ago

    Alaska 2025 glacier‑linked megatsunami: hazard lessons for fjord engineers

    A 10 August 2025 rockslide in Alaska’s Tracy Arm Fjord sent more than 64 million m³ of rock and debris into the water, generating a megatsunami with an estimated maximum run-up of about 481 m along the steep fjord walls, the second-highest recorded after Lituya Bay 1958. The failure was linked to support loss from South Sawyer Glacier’s retreat, with the narrow fjord geometry strongly amplifying wave heights. No casualties occurred, but the near miss for cruise traffic signals a rising landslide–tsunami hazard in deglaciating fjords that must be factored into navigation and infrastructure risk assessments.

    Related Industries & Products

    Mining

    Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.

    Construction

    Quality control software for construction companies with material testing, batch tracking, and compliance management.

    CMRR-io

    Streamline coal mine roof stability assessments with our cloud-based CMRR software featuring automated calculations, multi-scenario analysis, and collaborative workflows.

    HYDROGEO-io

    Comprehensive hydrogeological testing platform for managing, analysing, and reporting on packer tests, lugeon values, and hydraulic conductivity assessments.

    GEODB-io

    Centralised geotechnical data management solution for storing, accessing, and analysing all your site investigation and material testing data.

    AllGeotechnicalInfrastructureHazardsEnvironmental