Recipient

Hirst Electrical Plant Hire Services (UK) Limited

First report 9 Sep 2021•Latest report 9 Sep 2021

Recipient record

Reports, concerns and published responses

Private and voluntary organisations · Private limited company. This page brings together reports naming this recipient and response statements clearly connected to concerns raised in those reports.

Reports: 1
Published responses: 0%
Concerns addressed: 0
Stated actions: 0

Reports over time

Reports naming this recipient by issue year.

Evidence profile

Report topics

Share of this recipient’s reports compared with all other recipients.

0%published responses found

0stated actions described

Topic comparisons are not available in the current evidence snapshot.

Concerns and recipient responses

Statements from Hirst Electrical Plant Hire Services (UK) Limited linked to the concerns in each report. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

9 Sep2021
West Yorkshire Eastern
Concerns raised6
1. Insufficient oil in transformers creating a risk of hazardous gas accumulation during operation
2. Failure of the manufacturer’s manual to warn against energising transformers without adequate oil
3. Failure to recommend periodic transformer oil maintenance and replenishment
1. Lack of awareness of the risk of potentially lethal gas accumulation inside transformers
2. Lack of transformer warning signage requiring confirmation of adequate oil before use
3. Lack of user awareness that inadequate transformer oil can cause overheating or fire
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.

No linked response statements
No action or position from this recipient is clearly linked to the concerns in this report.
AI-generated summary

Kenneth Audsley · Prevention of Future Deaths report

This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

Report summary

Kenneth Audsley, an experienced high-voltage electrical engineer aged 56, was overcome by carbon monoxide while investigating a fault inside an industrial transformer at work. The transformer contained substantially less oil than it should have, allowing carbon monoxide to accumulate. Concerns included insufficient awareness of the risk, a lack of warning signs and manufacturer warnings, no recommended periodic maintenance regime, and the possibility that other transformers could pose comparable risks.

Read the report on judiciary.uk
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Hirst Electrical Plant Hire Services (UK) Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Insufficient oil in transformers creating a risk of hazardous gas accumulation during operation
Wider context from the report
“(5) By virtue of these matters there exists the possibility that comparable transformers in service throughout the UK may contain insufficient oil to be operated safely and prevent an accumulation of potentially hazardous gases in the space thereby created. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Hirst Electrical Plant Hire Services (UK) Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Failure of the manufacturer’s manual to warn against energising transformers without adequate oil
Wider context from the report
“(3) The manufacturer’s manual contained no warnings of the hazard which would be created if the transformer were to be energised without containing adequate oil for cooling and insulating purposes. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Hirst Electrical Plant Hire Services (UK) Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Failure to recommend periodic transformer oil maintenance and replenishment
Wider context from the report
“(4) The manufacturer did not recommend a periodic maintenance regime to confirm adequate oil remained in the transformer and have it replenished if necessary. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Hirst Electrical Plant Hire Services (UK) Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Lack of awareness of the risk of potentially lethal gas accumulation inside transformers
Wider context from the report
“(1) The risk that a potentially lethal gas could accumulate inside the transformer was not appreciated either amongst the electricians in this workplace or those involved with industrial transformers generally. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Hirst Electrical Plant Hire Services (UK) Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Lack of transformer warning signage requiring confirmation of adequate oil before use
Wider context from the report
“(2) There were no warning signs affixed to the transformer alerting users to the risk of using the transformer unless it had first been confirmed it contained adequate oil. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Hirst Electrical Plant Hire Services (UK) Limited; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Lack of user awareness that inadequate transformer oil can cause overheating or fire
Wider context from the report
“(6) The risks identified could affect anyone (1) dismantling a transformer at the end of its life; (2) having cause to open a transformer for repair or maintenance purposes or (3) users who may be unaware that inadequate oil could cause a transformer to overheat or catch fire. ”
Open source report

Information checked against published PFD reports and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026

Reports, concerns and published responses

Reports over time

Concerns raised6

Insufficient oil in transformers creating a risk of hazardous gas accumulation during operation

Failure of the manufacturer’s manual to warn against energising transformers without adequate oil

Failure to recommend periodic transformer oil maintenance and replenishment

Lack of awareness of the risk of potentially lethal gas accumulation inside transformers

Lack of transformer warning signage requiring confirmation of adequate oil before use

Lack of user awareness that inadequate transformer oil can cause overheating or fire