A court has fined two Southland power companies a total of $72,000 after two linesmen were burned when the wrong power line was turned off during maintenance.
Power Services Ltd workers Brian Lindsay and Jeffery Berry suffered serious burns when they received electric shocks from an Invercargill power line in January.
One man had touched the live line with a redundant line, with the shock passing through his body and out onto another redundant line.
The shock traveled 1.2km along that line, shocking his colleague who was collecting redundant lines.
In the Invercargill District Court on Monday, a judge fined Power Services Ltd $36,000 and ordered it to pay reparation totalling $8000.
Powernet Ltd, which manages the Southland electricity distribution network, was fined $36,000, with reparation of $12,000.
Department of Labour southern general manager Jean Martin welcomed the judgment.
She said both men were lucky they weren't more seriously injured.
"Powernet was responsible for ensuring the correct line was disconnected. Both companies should have identified hazards associated with the work, and Power Services should have tested the supposedly disconnected line before allowing work nearby," Ms Martin says.
NZN