Dh5,000 fine over accident that left electrician paralysed

DUBAI // A partner in a maintenance company was today fined Dh5,000 for negligence over an accident that left a 22-year-old electrician paralysed.

The electrician was thrown five metres in the air by an electric shock he received while fixing an air conditioning compressor in Al Qusais Industrial Area 5 on July 17, 2010. He can no longer move the lower half of his body.

His colleague JS, a 22-year-old Bangladeshi mechanic, said that they had cut the building's power so they could start work on the compressor at about 9pm. However, the electrician did not have a device to measure whether the cables were live with electricity and touched one of the cables with his bare hand.

"I suddenly saw him get electrocuted and thrown in the air before landing on the ground," said the mechanic.

The Misdemeanour Court ruled that the maintenance company partner KP, a 25-year-old from Indian, was negligent as he had failed to provide the electrician with the necessary safety tools. He had also failed to provide him with the necessary training, and left him without supervision.

The partner had pleaded not guilty, saying that the company provided all workers with safety tools and that the electrician must have neglected to take them with him.

He said the company paid the expenses of the man's three-month hospital stay as well as the cost of his wheelchair. They also paid him Dh35,000 compensation.

salamir@thenational.ae