Utilities and infrastructure contractor Lanes Group has been fined £800,000 following the death of a drainage engineer.

City of London Magistrates’ Court heard that in December 2022 Miguel Galvao,51, was priming a jetting hose when there was a loud explosion and the end of the hose whipped up at high speed, striking him.

Galvao was rushed to hospital and placed in an induced coma.

His partner Estefania Fonseca – with whom he had three children –  made the heart-breaking decision to turn off his life support two weeks later and Galvao died on 27 December 2022.

The court heard on the morning of the tragedy it was very cold and the end of the hose was suspended in an inspection chamber when a large pressure release, thought to be due to a build-up of ice in the system, caused the end of it to strike Galvao in the face.

An HSE investigation found that the company failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of its employees.

The major failings identified during the investigation were:

• There was no safe system of work detailing how priming of the jetting system should be done safely.
• There was a failure to maintain work equipment in an efficient state, as a number of other jetting vehicles were seen with defective vices.
• There was a failure to monitor use of physical control measures in place.
• Employees were not provided with sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision.

During the investigation, the Water Jetting Association, a trade association representing those carrying out high pressure water jetting, released a safety alert reminding operators of the importance of restraining or anchoring the end of the jetting hose.

The vice on the vehicle that should secure the hose

Lanes Group Limited of West Yorkshire pleaded guilty to breaches under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The company was fined £800,000, reduced from £1.2m due to the early guilty plea, and ordered to pay £8,680 in full costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge at City of London Magistrates’ Court on 2 October 2025.

HSE inspector Marcus Pope said: “This absolutely tragic incident further demonstrates the need for companies to ensure there are suitable safe systems of work for non-routine work, such as work in freezing temperatures where machines are at risk of freezing.

“This investigation and the input from the Water Jetting Association should help demonstrate to the industry the importance of restraining or anchoring the end of jetting hoses when priming systems.”