MER electric shock incident

Summary

A request was made for details and investigation reports regarding a 2013 electric shock incident involving a Manx Electric Railway conductor, but the Department of Infrastructure withheld all information citing ongoing legal proceedings.

Key Facts

• The incident occurred on May 30, 2013, involving tram no.9.
• A conductor suffered an electric shock when a controller in the rear cab went live.
• The Department of Infrastructure refused to release investigation reports or full details.
• The refusal was based on Section 21(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 due to ongoing legal proceedings.
• A press clipping from the Manx Independent dated June 4-10, 2013, was provided as the only attached document.

Data Disclosed

• May 30 2013
• tram no.9
• June 4 to 10, 2013
• 2017-09-29
• 2017-10-06
• IM105033i

Exemptions Cited

• Section 21(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (ongoing legal proceedings)

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Department of Infrastructure Sea Terminal Building, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2RF

FOI Reference No: IM105033i Request Under The Freedom Of Information Act 2015 (“The Act”)

Thank you for your request dated 29th September 2017.

Your request

Please provide full details of an incident on May 30 2013 in which a conductor on the Manx Electric Railway suffered an electric shock when a controller in the rear cab of illuminated tram no.9 went live.

Please also provide a copy of a report or update letter outlining the results of any investigation into the accident, and detail any actions taken as a result to avoid a repeat of this incident. Response to your request

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, under section 21(1)(a) of the Act the information you have requested is absolutely exempt from disclosure as it is subject to ongoing legal proceedings.

Under Section 21(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2015, information is absolutely exempt information if it is held by a public authority only by virtue of being contained in a document of the following kind for the purposes of legal proceedings filed with, or otherwise placed in the custody of, a court;

This incident was however reported in the Manx Independent, June 4 to 10, 2013 and we have attached the press clipping in Appendix 1.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your Freedom of Information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically to foi.doi@gov.im or by delivery/post to The FOI Co-ordinator, Department of Infrastructure, Sea Terminal Buildings, Douglas, IM1 2RF. An electronic version and paper version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at www.gov.im/foireview Email: foi.doi@gov.im Date: 6 October 2017

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