A tragic prosecution reported by the HSE Media Centre on 6 October 2026 has brought home, yet again, how quickly a routine exterior painting job can turn fatal. A trainee painter was killed, and a colleague badly burned, when a ladder came into contact with — or close enough to arc from — overhead power lines on a domestic property near Chester.
What happened
According to the HSE Media Centre, Daniel Watton, 50, a sole trader trading as Inside Out Painters and Decorators Property Maintenance, was sentenced after the death of 24-year-old trainee painter Connor Lambert, who was his stepson. Connor, from Market Drayton, died after coming into contact with electricity while a ladder was being moved near overhead power lines at a house in Farndon on 29 July 2024. He and his partner were expecting their first child.
The HSE investigation found that Connor had been moving a fully extended ladder with a colleague at the gable end of the property. During this, the ladder either touched an overhead power line or came close enough for an electrical arc to form. The colleague suffered burns to his hands, feet and stomach.
Crucially, the investigation found the work at height "had not been properly planned, supervised, or carried out safely." The original plan involved a tower scaffold and ladders, but in practice the work deviated to ladders throughout — a method approved by Watton that proved, in the words of the regulator, "unsuitable and unsafe." The HSE also identified issues with the training and competence of those doing the work.
Watton pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. He was sentenced to 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay £10,645 in costs at Warrington Magistrates Court.
Why it matters to contractors
Two high-risk activities collided here: work at height and work near overhead power lines. Either one demands proper planning. Together, they demand real control.
The detail that should stop every sole trader and small firm in their tracks is this: a plan existed, but the work deviated from it. Ladders replaced the tower scaffold, and nobody reassessed the risk when the method changed. That's not a paperwork failure — it's the gap between what you write down and what actually happens on site. A plan you don't follow, or don't update when conditions change, protects nobody.
Overhead power lines are easy to overlook because they're background furniture on many domestic jobs. But a fully extended ladder swung at a gable end can close that gap in seconds. HSE guidance is clear that where work near overhead lines is unavoidable, you must eliminate or reduce the risk — isolating the supply, using suitable equipment, and maintaining safe distances.
What to check on your site
- Survey for overhead power lines before work starts — walk the site, look up, and record any lines on your risk assessment.
- Plan the access method for the actual task, not a generic one — and if the method changes on site, stop and reassess before carrying on.
- Set and enforce exclusion zones around overhead lines; arrange isolation with the network operator where lines can't be avoided.
- Match the equipment to the job — long, conductive ladders near live lines are a known killer.
- Check competence and supervision — trainees must be supervised by someone competent for the task and the specific hazards present.
- Brief the crew on the power-line risk with a toolbox talk, and record attendance.
Which SafetyPod documents help
Getting the planning on paper is where it starts. A task-specific working at height risk assessment forces you to identify hazards like overhead lines before the ladder goes up, and our RAMS & Permits templates let you set out the method and the controls so the crew works to a plan — and so deviations are spotted, not assumed. Painters, decorators and other access trades will find the Roofer Risk Assessment Pack useful for its working-at-height and access-equipment content. And a quick toolbox talk on overhead power lines is a simple way to get the message to everyone on site before the job begins.
These templates are editable and written to current UK legislation — but documents alone don't keep anyone safe. The planning, supervision and discipline on site are what count.
Don't leave the planning until the ladder's up
If your exterior and access work isn't backed by a task-specific risk assessment and a method the crew actually follows, sort it before your next job. Browse the risk assessment library and get the paperwork that puts safe planning first.