Worker paralysed in 30ft pylon fall receives at least £10m; HSE says injuries preventable

Mixed · 2Gavin Pugh, a maintenance worker from Bangor, Gwynedd, has won at least £10m in compensation after a 30ft fall from a pylon left him paralysed. 1 2 Mixed · 2The fall happened in April 2022 while Pugh, then 33, was dismantling a pylon in Staffordshire; he unknowingly clipped his safety line to a section that was only secure at one end. 1 2 Mixed · 2The pylon had already been worked on by another team and a nut had been left loose, which Pugh did not know; Metro reports that the strut spun vertical when he put his weight on it and his rope slipped loose. 1 2

Mixed · 2He suffered injuries to his brain, neck, shoulder, ribs and internal organs and needs a wheelchair for life. 1 2 Mixed · 2The Health and Safety Executive found that 'adequate safety arrangements' had not been in place at his employer, Cheshire-based Wood Transmission and Distribution Ltd, which was fined £240,000 at a magistrates' court in 2024. 1 2 Mixed · 2HSE inspector Robert Gidman said the incident could have been prevented with proper risk assessment, adequate staffing and clear procedures for transferring towers between teams, adding that a worker had been 'unnecessarily' left paralysed. 1 2

Mixed · 2Pugh sued in the High Court and, after out-of-court negotiations, a care and compensation package was agreed that his lawyers, Stewarts, described as worth 'eight figures'. 1 2 Mixed · 2The money covers his injuries, lost future earnings, 24-hour live-in carers and more than £1m in rehabilitation costs; interim payments had funded private rehab and care during negotiations. 1 2 Mixed · 2Pugh said the fall 'turned my life upside down' but that he is grateful for the settlement and is fishing and socialising again; Metro adds that the interim payments helped him secure a new bungalow. 1 2

Centre · 1The employer, now known as United Infrastructure Power T&D Ltd, was asked by the BBC to comment. 1