Miguel Galvao, 51, a drainage engineer, was struck by a hose while working at a Lanes Group Limited site in Leeds, and the company has now been fined £800,000 following his death
A company has been fined £800,000 after a dad-of-three was hit by an exploding jet hose and tragically died.
Miguel Galvao, 51, was struck by the hose at work and seriously injured on December 10, 2022. He was placed in an induced coma and after two weeks in hospital, doctors told his partner Estefania there was nothing more they could do for Miguel so she had the devastating decision to turn off the life support.
He was working as a drainage engineer and when priming the jetting hose, a loud explosion was heard at a Lanes Group Limited site in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The end of the hose whipped up at high speed, striking him and he was rushed to hospital.
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An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of its employees. Lanes Group Limited were fined £800,000 on October 2 at City of London Magistrates’ Court.
Estefania and Miguel had three children – Angelica, Michael and Jose – and she asked the doctors to hold off on withdrawing life support until after Christmas and he died on December 27, 2022. Estefania said: “They asked me if they could switch off the machine and then explained to me that Miguel could pass instantly or breathe by himself between five to seven days.
“Five days would have been Christmas day so I told them they could not do that because of the kids but they could do it afterwards. Since Miguel passed, I have PTSD – it has affected everything. Miguel was my everything, he was my rock. When Miguel died, it felt like the floor had been taken from under me.”
An HSE investigation found the morning of the incident was very cold, with witnesses describing temperatures dropping to around -3C to -4C. 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 the hose to strike Miguel in the face.
The end of the hose should have been mechanically secured in a system such as the vice provided on the vehicle. 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.
Lanes Group Limited of Lower Wortley, Leeds, 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 £1.2 million due to the early guilty plea. They were ordered to pay £8,680 in full costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge at City of London Magistrates’ Court on October 2, 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.”
Estefania told how the couple planned to get married the following year. “We lived together for 15 years and had planned to marry at Christmas 2023,” she said. “We have three children – Angelica, Michael and Jose. It has been so difficult for them to cope without their dad. Michael screamed ‘my dad is dead’ when he saw him in hospital, and he still struggles with anger and grief.
“Angelica was a real daddy’s girl – she has trouble sleeping and misbehaves because she feels no one cares about what happened to her dad. Jose, our eldest, has tried to be strong, but it has affected him deeply too. I have good days and bad days, but everything has changed.
“We used to go out as a family every two weeks – to the cinema, to London, or even just to the park late at night – Miguel loved making memories with the children. We can’t do that now. The kids often ask why life is so different without daddy. Financially it has also been a real struggle.
“We relied on Miguel’s wages, and I now find myself on benefits, unable to give the children the life we had before. We don’t have a car anymore, I can’t always afford the heating, and I have to choose which child I can buy something for each month. It is heartbreaking. Miguel’s dream was to buy a house and retire in Portugal.
“When my father died, he said he would be happy living in my mum’s house there, and that is where we buried him. It is what he would have wanted. He worked for this company for nearly 10 years, and it hurts that he never came home from work. They came to his funeral but never spoke to me or the children. That lack of respect has been so painful. Miguel was a wonderful father and partner. He went to work that day and never came home. Our lives will never be the same without him.”
