A man who died after being electrocuted by an overhead power cable at work suffered burns to more than a third of his body, an inquest heard.
Steven Hill, 43, was working for waste firm TK Lynskey when he was electrocuted at their site in Common Lane in Wath upon Dearne, Rotherham, on 22 August 2020.
He died in Pinderfields Hospital three days later from his injuries.
An inquest into his death opened at Doncaster Mansion House on Monday 12th September 2022 and the court heard that Mr Hill was using heavy machinery to move waste on a large pile of aggregate underneath a 66,000-volt overhead power line before the incident took place.
Coroner Louise Slater said witnesses recalled “hearing a banging noise just prior to a bright flash”.
Benjamin Townsend, an emergency medical technician at Yorkshire Ambulance Service who attended the incident, said staff at the site told him Mr Hill had walked around the front of the machinery and been electrocuted.
In a statement he said Mr Hill was on “quite a steep slope” on the pile of aggregate and that he was conscious and able to communicate when paramedics reached him.
“It was obvious that he had sustained very serious burns throughout his body,” Mr Townsend said.
Police officer Craig Michael Lee said in a statement that the overhead wires “looked very close” to the top of the pile, which he estimated was about 20ft (6m) high.
Mr Hill was taken to Northern General Hospital in Sheffield and later transferred to the burns unit at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.
Mr Mohammed Unwar, consultant plastic and burns surgeon at Pinderfields, estimated Mr Hill suffered about 37% burns, the inquest heard.
Mr Unwar said Mr Hill’s condition deteriorated and he died with his family by his side.
‘My soulmate’
Mr Hill’s widow, Theresa, said in a statement to the court: “Steven was a very family-oriented person and when he wasn’t at work, we would spend time together as a family.
“Steven was my best friend. He was my soulmate, he has left a huge void in my life. Our lives will never be the same.”
Mr Hill had worked for TK Lynskey since 2006.
Det Con Rob Webster from South Yorkshire Police said members of the company’s management were interviewed under caution in relation to corporate manslaughter and potential breaches of health and safety legislation.
He said the threshold to pursue any criminal charges had not been met and the case was not referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.
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