Electrical Accidents page 3

Electrical Accidents #3

This page was last updated on  05/06/2010

 

UPDATE, Directors charged in workplace tragedy; Accident left summer student a triple amputee

Moira Welsh, STAFF REPORTER

The Ministry of Labour has charged three directors of Great Lakes Power and the corporation’s former chief executive officer after a workplace accident left summer student Lewis Wheelan a triple amputee. The directors, who also serve as executive vice-presidents with Great Lakes’ parent company, the multi-billion dollar Brascan Corp., were charged late Tuesday under Section 32 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, a regulation that holds corporate leaders responsible for employee safety. In the past 11 years the ministry has laid 121 Section 32 charges against directors – but the majority are not against directors of major corporations. The charges come in the wake of a federal justice committee hearing that examined whether Canada’s Criminal Code should be changed to allow for charges against leaders of companies that neglect worker safety. The committee is expected to file a report after several weeks of submissions. Also facing charges for a slew of provincial safety infractions are the contractor who hired Lewis, a crewman, a Great Lakes Power supervisor and the Great Lakes corporation. Under the act, convictions for individuals can lead to a $25,000 fine or one year in jail, or both. A corporation can be fined up to $500,000 if found guilty. “It’s pretty good to hear,” said Lewis, from his Toronto apartment yesterday, “It’s not going to give me my legs and arm back though, is it?” One year ago today – on the second day of his summer job – Lewis was picking up brush for a Sault Ste. Marie tree-cutting contractor hired by Great Lakes Power when a tree crashed through a hydro line, jolting him with 7,200 volts of electricity. The electricity burned so deeply that Lewis lost his right arm, right shoulder and both his legs. In March, The Star documented the series of safety infractions that led to Lewis’ accident and the struggle that he has since faced. The ministry had to take legal action before the one-year statute of limitations on charges expired today, the anniversary of Lewis’ accident. It laid 26 charges this week, most of which are against the Neatsite Vegetation contractor, Mike Piccolo, the Great Lakes supervisor, Steve McClinchey and a crewman at the scene, Brian Campbell. All of the men live in Sault Ste. Marie. Great Lakes’ three directors, Harry Goldgut, Edward Kress and Richard Legault, received one charge each under Section 32 of the safety act, which sets out governance rules for directors. Great Lakes’ former CEO, Mike McEwen, who resigned in late March, also received one charge under the same section. Goldgut said yesterday that he can’t talk about the case because of the charges, but said their thoughts are with Lewis. “We feel terrible about the accident and the injuries that Lewis has sustained,” Goldgut said, “He is a very courageous young man. ” Colin Clark, who replaced Mike McEwen as chief executive officer and president of Great Lakes Power, said the company will “review the charges and respond at the appropriate time.” “Great Lakes Power takes safety very seriously and we’re continuously striving to achieve nothing less than the perfect safety performance,” Clark said. Bruce Arnott, the Ministry of Labour counsel, said that Section 32 of the safety act holds directors accountable. “It is generally there to ensure that those with over-all authority of the corporation do everything within their power to ensure that the subordinates in the corporation are making sure that safety policies are produced and implemented,” Arnott said. The issue of corporate responsibility is gaining prominence in the business world, says Purdy Crawford, a noted businessman and lawyer who is an expert on the issues of corporate governance. “The fact that the directors are being prosecuted is relevant,” Crawford said. “The directors don’t run the safety program; that’s impossible. They supervise and monitor the managers of the company. And it’s their responsibility to do that job well and exercise due diligence in doing it,” said Crawford, chair of the committee that recently recommended key changes to Ontario’s securities laws. The case will be heard in Sault Ste. Marie’s Ontario Court of Justice, beginning July 12.

 

UPDATE, Worker dies after electrocution horror

A CONSTRUCTION company admitted breaching health and safety rules after a father-of-two from Liverpool was electrocuted while laying cables. Labourer Stephen Curran, 32, from Aintree, died after he was hit by 6,350 volts when the lighting tower he was moving accidentally touched an overhead power cable. Mr Curran was working on a road in Wiltshire in December, 2000 when the accident happened. He had been re-laying a road after fibre-optic telecommunications cables had been put down in a trench. North Wiltshire Magistrates’ Court heard that Mr Curran, sub-contracted by North Midland Construction plc, died at the scene. Prosecutor Frederick Tucker told the court there had been a “substantial” breach of health and safety rules. He said the company had failed to undertake a proper risk assessment of the site at Grittenham, Wiltshire. Mr Tucker said the company had not seen the hazard of the overhead cables and there was inadequate safety training and supervision. “There was a substantial failure in that there was no indication at all that there was even cables present,” he said. Mr Tucker said the results of that failure were “catas trophic.” The company admitted two charges of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and also the 1994 Construction, Design and Management Regulations. The case was committed to Swindon Crown Court by magistrates after they decided their powers to fine the company up to #20,000 for health and safety breaches were not enough. There is no limit to the amount of the fine the Crown Court can set.

 

Dump truck snaps power line on IH-35

By CAROL COUGHLIN – Staff Reporter

A dump truck working on a construction project on IH-35 just north of San Marcos snapped a power line Thursday around noon, dropping a live wire across the interstate and cutting off power to the entire town of Martindale. According to John Williams with the Lower Colorado River Authority’s corporate communications, the gravel truck was dumping a load of material at a construction project on the interstate north of San Marcos when it came in contact with an LCRA 69-kilovolt power line and knocked it down. “The line hit the truck and blew out its tires,” Williams said. “Then the line came down over IH-35, where traffic was already slowed by construction in some lanes. A TxDOT (Texas Department of Transportation) worker picked up the line and moved it off the road because cars were driving over it.” The downed wire was still “hot,” and the TxDOT worker was lucky not to be injured by moving the wire, he said. The driver of the truck did not sustain any injuries either, and there were no reports of any injuries or any vehicular accidents as a result of the downed wire. But the mishap left the live wire lying across both the east and west access roads, between Uhland Road and the Blanco River on the east access road, and near Butler Manufacturing on the west access road, according to Jana Green, secretary with the San Marcos Fire Department. Two of the fire department’s units stood by until the wire was de-energized on both sides. “LCRA personnel arrived and took the proper precautions to move the line from the access road,” Williams said. “The downed line did cause some brief outages in the area until power could be routed around the area. The line is to be repaired this weekend, when the LCRA can do the work with the least amount of traffic disruption.” The downed line cut power to the entire town of Martindale from 12:02 to 12:48 p.m., for a total of 46 minutes, he said.

 

Nissan Construction Worker Injured

A construction worker at the Nissan plant in Decherd was seriously injured recently. A construction worker at the Nissan plant in Decherd was seriously injured last week. According to Decherd Fire Chief Harold Perry, William Spicer, an employee of Midstate Electric of Jackson, Tennessee was injured when he attempted to remove a fuse from a breaker box with a screwdriver. As Spicer attempted to remove the fuse, the box exploded in his face. “He needed to remove one of the fuses that operates one of the big machines in the plant,” Perry explained. “So he was up a lift trying to remove the fuse when the accident happened.” The lift he was working in kept him from being thrown in the floor. According to the Fire Chief, Spicer remained awake while members of the Decherd Fire Department, along with rescue workers tried to get him down from the lift, but he apparently lost consciousness as paramedics from Rural Metro Ambulance transported him to Southern Tennessee Medical Center. Perry noted that the construction worker received third degree burns on his face and both arms. “His skin was just black on his arms, face and hands,” Perry explained. Spicer was stabilized at the hospital and then flown by helicopter to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, where he was admitted to the burn unit.

 

Electrocution investigated; Lineman dies after accident at Rudolph site

By KAREN MADDEN, Tribune Staff Writer

RUDOLPH – A 26-year-old Tomah man died Wednesday afternoon from injuries he received in an electrical accident. At 1:52 p.m., the Wood County Sheriff’s Department received a call of a possible electrocution at County Trunk O and Oak Road in the town of Rudolph. When emergency workers arrived at the scene, the man had been lowered to the ground and cardiopulmonary resuscitation started, Wood County Sheriff Kurt Heuer said. Higgins Ambulance, the Rudolph Fire Department and First Responders, and the Sheriff’s Department and its Rescue Squad responded to the scene. The man, whose name is being withheld pending notification of his family, was flown by the Spirit of Marshfield helicopter to St. Joseph’s Hospital, Marsh-field, where he was pronounced dead, Heuer said. The man was working as a lineman for the Electrical Power Division of Hooper Corp., a Madison-based construction corporation, which was subcontracting electrical work for Alliant Energy Corp., Madison. Details of the accident remained sketchy Wednesday afternoon, said Jerry Dicklig, Hooper Corp.’s Electrical Power Division vice president. “At this time, I do know it was an accident,” he said, noting Hooper Corp. had people investigating at the job site Wednesday afternoon. The firm will cooperate with local officials, he said. Janice Mathis, of Alliant Energy, said Hooper Corp. is doing work along Alliant Energy’s distribution lines. “We always encourage our contractors, and the general public as well, to adhere to safety standards and be extra careful while working around electricity,” Mathis said. “That’s our company’s commitment.” You can reach reporter Karen Madden at 422-6729 or [email protected].

 

Pompano man electrocuted while picking mangoes in back yard

sun-sentinel.com

POMPANO BEACH – A 55-year-old resident was was electrocuted while picking mangoes in his yard, deputies said Wednesday. Eduardo Sandoval died at 7:51 p.m. Tuesday after being shocked in the back yard of his 248 NE 40th Court home, Broward Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jim Leljedal said. Deputies and paramedics were called to the home after a fall injury was called in to 9-1-1. Arriving officers and rescue workers found Sandoval unconscious at the bottom of an aluminum ladder. Leljedal said Sandoval apparently fell off the ladder when he touched a 7,000 volt powerline with a metal pole used to clean swimming pools. The pole was being used to knock mangoes from the tree to the ground. Sandoval was rushed to North Broward Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

 

 

Officials: Electrocution likely killed mine worker

A miner who died at a Washington County mine Saturday likely was electrocuted, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday. George Shirley, 46, of Somerset Township , died after apparently coming into contact with an electric cable that touched a mine car at Mine 84, said Kevin Stricklin, spokesman for the MSHA office in New Stanton. Shirley managed to stop the car, and a co-worker saw him fall after walking around to the front of the vehicle inside the CONSOL Energy mine. Washington County Coroner S. Timothy Warco has yet to rule on the cause of death. Stricklin said MSHA was awaiting tests on the mine car cable and a ruling from Warco before issuing a final report on Shirley’s death.

 

Greenskeeper dies after electric shock in pond

By Scott Parrott, DAILY Staff Writer
A greenskeeper died Tuesday afternoon after being shocked during an underwater fountain installation at Decatur Country Club, police said. Ronald George Walters, 32, was helping two coworkers install the fountain in one of the golf course ponds. An improperly connected electrical cord caused a circuit to short inside the fountain’s pump, police said. Walters swam to the pump to investigate. The electricity shocked Walters, and he submerged, police said. Walters’ co-workers searched the water for him, ultimately finding him and carrying him out. An ambulance took Walters to Decatur General Hospital , where doctors pronounced him dead at 4:20 p.m. , police said. It was not immediately known whether Walters died from electrocution or drowning. An electrician inspected the golf course’s electrical connections Tuesday afternoon, as requested by investigators. The electrician found an unsecured line connection to the pump, police said. Walters worked at the golf course for 2½ years, club President Thomas Whitman said. Investigators ruled his death accidental.

 

Blast Injures Two Workers at Irvine Rubber Plant

Times Headlines, By DAVID HALDANE, TIMES STAFF WRITER

Two maintenance workers were injured, one critically, when an electrical panel exploded Monday at an Irvine processing plant, authorities said. The men, both 43, were changing a circuit breaker in the main electrical room at Valley Processing, a rubber-processing plant in the 17000 block of Eastman Avenue, when the explosion occurred about 8 p.m. “Something fell, causing a short arc,” said Capt. Stephen Miller, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority. That caused the explosion, he said. The burned workers were taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange. One was reported in critical condition with second- and third-degree burns over 30% of his body, Miller said. The other was in moderate condition with burns on 20% of his body. The names of the two men were not immediately released.

 

HOME SAFETY, Man electrocuted at Meridian home

By Marianne Todd, Special to The Clarion-Ledger

MERIDIAN — Residents in a north Meridian neighborhood are devastated by the Saturday accidental electrocution of Anthony Bartlett, 37. Bartlett, of 3416 50th St., died shortly before noon while trying to lower a television cable into a daughter’s bedroom, said Clayton Cobler, Lauderdale County deputy coroner. “It was just a freak accident,” Cobler said. “The air compressing unit outside had a short in it, and when it kicked on it shot 240 amps of electricity through the air ducts. He just happened to be laying over one of them at the time.” Cobler said Bartlett’s wife, Kristy, had been waiting for her husband to feed her the cable wire when she heard a strange noise. “She went up to see what was going on and when she put her hand on him she got shocked,” he said. “It more or less pushed her away from him. She went and got a neighbor who turned off the breakers and called 911.” Neighbor Sharon White said she arrived home to find emergency vehicles lining 50th Street. “About a dozen neighbors who were home when it happened were trying to comfort his wife, and the people who could not get to Kristy were comforting each other, even those neighbors who seldom spoke. There were people who really didn’t know each other, acquaintances, who were holding each other. We’re all so deeply saddened.” Cobler said Bartlett was the father of two young daughters and a nurse at East Mississippi State Hospital. White said people who didn’t know Bartlett personally knew him for his ready smile and wave. “Everyone who knew him knew he would have done anything for anybody,” White said. “You always saw Anthony outside, working on his lawn and playing with his daughters. Every time I saw him, he waved. Both Anthony and his wife are the kind of people you wish for as neighbors. To say he’ll be missed is a terrible understatement.”

 

HOME SAFETY, Man working on pipe shocked

05/03/2002, Don Day, Idaho’s NewsChannel 7 KTVB.COM

A 34-year-old man suffered a severe electric shock in the southeast Boise area. Just after 7:30pm Friday, the man was working in his yard at the 100 block of East Boise Avenue. He pulled a water pipe from an irrigation ditch, hitting the power lines above. The electrical current entered through his hand, and exited through his foot. Kevin Walgamot was listed in serious condition at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center late Friday. Thirteen-hundred homes lost power in connection with the accident for a half hour. Idaho Power is investigating the incident.

 

ELECTRICAL NEARMISS!!! Roof worker’s life saved by the rain

May 2, 2002 22:53, By James Mortlock
DOCTORS believe the rain probably saved a roofing contractor’s life after the cherry picker he was using went too close to overhead power cables, sending thousands of volts of electricity into his face. They think his wet clothes, hair and face allowed the shock to pass over him instead of straight through his body – a course, they said, would have almost certainly electrocuted him. The roofer, who was working at a factory in Elmswell when the incident happened yesterday lunchtime, is thought to have escaped with relatively minor injuries despite falling or dropping 20 feet to the ground after the initial shock. Dr Andy Mason, of the Suffolk Accident Rescue Service, said the 27-year-old had been “extremely fortunate” to survive. The man was using a hydraulic cherry picker at packaging and distribution specialists Forcemicro Ltd when the cage platform got dangerously close to the cable. “He received an arced shock – the high voltage current actually jumped across the gap between the cable and his face, burning his face. He then either fell or jumped down from the cage,” said Dr Mason. “Not only could the shock have been fatal, but the jump or fall could also have had tragic consequences. He has had a very close shave both in terms of surviving the electric shock and quite a steep fall or jump.” Dr Mason added the shower of rain at the time of the incident could have been crucial in the roofer’s survival. “I think it was a good thing. His damp clothing, hair and face would have caused the current to travel over the surface of his body rather than through it,” he explained. “If it had gone through his body, causing deep internal burns, it would have been a very grave situation indeed.” Dr Mason said although the man was airlifted to hospital by the East Anglian Air Ambulance, his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. He suffered superficial burns to his face and was due to undergo x-rays at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds to ensure he had no broken bones from the 20ft drop. Assistant Divisional Officer Barry Cole, who was called to the scene of the incident, said the area was cordoned off to protect other people on the site until 24Seven engineers arrived to isolate the supply. He warned people using any kind of equipment to steer clear of overhead cables and added “We have one very lucky young man who escaped serious injury. But people operating tools like this, or even ladders, should keep clear of overhead power cables. People need to take great care.” A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said an investigation would be carried out into the incident. Engineers from 24Seven were trying last night to repair the damage to the overhead lines, which were brought down during the incident. More than 1,000 homes were left without electricity for an hour following the incident and a handful were still waiting to be reconnected last night.

 

UPDATE, Two Utility Workers Hurt In Underground Explosion & Fire

Two employees of San Antonio’s electric utility were hospitalized with burns after an underground explosion and fire, city officials said. Bob McCullough, a spokesman for City Public Service, said the men were working on a circuit breaker under the corner of Commerce and St. Mary streets in downtown San Antonio when a short circuit caused the explosion and subsequent fire occurred about 2:10 p.m. yesterday. The workers had burns on the face, neck and upper chest, and were taken by helicopter to Brooke Army Medical Center, said San Antonio Fire Department spokesman Tommy Thompson. Their identities were not released. Several loud explosions were heard, and smoke shot up to 40 feet into the air, he said. Power was shut off in an eight-block area for about 90 minutes. Thompson said a third CPS worker and a passer-by were treated for smoke inhalation after pulling the two injured men out of the manhole.

 

A national agency investigates the death of a Montezuma man who died working on the new federal courthouse in Albany.

BRANNON STEWART AND KEITH SALIBA, STAFF WRITERS

ALBANY – OSHA investigators are looking into the electrocution of a Montezuma man who had been working at the new federal courthouse less than a month. Donnie Griffin Jr., 21, an employee of Allgood Electric, died Friday while replacing a fluorescent light fixture on the ceiling in a security room, said Aubrey Clark, a project manager with Allgood. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sent a compliance officer to Albany, which is standard procedure any time a worker is injured or killed on the job, said Lorette Post, a spokesman for the agency. “We’re doing what we do, which is to investigate,” Post said. “That’s all we know right now.” Griffin was working on a punch list, a list of last-minute items that must be done before a project is complete, Clark said. Griffin apparently fell off a ladder, but Clark wasn’t sure whether Griffin was electrocuted by something he fell into or something he grabbed on the way down. “With the investigation still pending, any attempt to explain what happened is purely conjecture,” Clark said. “It’s very sad,” he said, “especially considering his age.” Clark said this type of accident is rare. Three Allgood employees, including Griffin, were working Friday night. Griffin began working for the company a month ago as an apprentice, said Ronnie Griffin, the man’s uncle. “He was a good young kid,” Ronnie Griffin said. “He farmed with his father until he got that job.” Griffin’s family farms cotton in Montezuma, in southern Macon County. “He was just like other 21-year-olds,” Ronnie Griffin said. “And he loved the outdoors.” Donnie Griffin will be buried at 2 p.m. today at Cedar Valley Baptist Church in Montezuma.

 

4 Injured In Downtown Manhole Explosions

Four people were were injured Monday afternoon following a series of explosions and fire in a manhole in the downtown area, officials said. Two City Pubic Service employees were airlifted to Brooke Army Medical Center in undetermined condition, although one victim was moving and was talking to Emergency Medical Service technicians, authorities said. One victim was transported to Christus Santa Rosa Hospital and one victim was taken to Metropolitan Hospital.

CPS officials said the two CPS employees were working on some underground electrical equipment similar to a circuit breaker in a manhole cover at St. Mary’s Street and Market Street at 2 p.m. when the explosions occured. At one point, KSAT 12 News videotape showed thick, black smoke billowing out of the manhole. The explosions forced a one-block area to be evacuated and a 10-block area was without electricity, including the Bexar County Courthouse. Guests at the Homewood Suites Hotel were evacuated. Non-essential employees at the International Affairs building and the Aztec Theatre workers were asked to leave. Traffic was halted in downtown San Antonio. KSAT 12 News @ 5 & 6

 

Electrical short causes television tower to catch fire

BY KERRY DRENNAN AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

The folks at KCBD-TV, Channel 11, are used to reporting the news, not being the subject of it. But when the top portion of a newly erected, 830-foot digital tower caught fire Sunday evening, rival journalists flocked to the scene right along with the fire department. Four trucks and several police units responded once the call came in at 6:27 p.m. Firefighters could do little but monitor the scene because the fire was so high up. “We’re not going to risk anybody going up there,” said fire Lt. Buddy Davis. “There’s no loss of life or hazard. Every body’s been evacuated out of the building. We’re going to wait and see what happens.” District Chief James Kirkland said the building would remain empty until he felt sure there was no danger of the top of the spire, which began to lean slightly, would break off and fall on the building. “Our predicament is we don’t know what it’s going to do,” he said. “I really don’t think it’s going to fall, but it’s hard to tell how that heat has affected the metal.” By about 8 p.m., the fire had died. The last fire truck left just after 8:30 p.m., and the Channel 11 staff was allowed to return to work. According to a written statement from Bill deTour nillon, KCBD-TV general manager, an electrical short sparked a fire in the antenna at about 780 feet. The station switched to a stand-by antenna with slightly reduced coverage to outlying areas, but there should be no interruption in programming for most viewers, according to the statement. Crews began repair work on the tower Sunday night. Damages are estimated at between $500,000 to $1 million. The new digital antenna had been operating at full power since Wednesday. [email protected] 766-8707

 

Worker electrocuted at conference center

FLORHAM PARK – A maintenance worker at the Dolce Hamilton Park conference center was accidentally electrocuted to death while working at the Park Avenue hotel, police Lt. John Forlenza said Tuesday, April 23.Haany Eshan, 29, of New Brunswick, suffered the fatal electric shock while making repairs to an air conditioning unit on the fourth floor just before noon Wednesday, April 17, according to the lieutenant, who said Eshan was pronounced dead at the scene. A hotel employee said there were no previous fatal accidents at the hotel. She said Eshan, who had no children and was not married, lived with a cousin in New Brunswick.

 

PERSONAL SAFETY, Static Electricity Causes Fire in Tucson

Static electricity catches a man on fire at a gas pump. It happened when he was pumping gas at a Tucson station. And a surveillance camera caught in all on tape. A man in a red SUV starts the pump and goes back to his car. When he returns to the pump the gas fumes ignite all around him. Incredibly he suffered only first degree burns on his hand and a small second degree burn on his shoulder. It’s a danger many people haven’t thought of when pumping gas. But jumping in and out of your car, or using a cell phone, can spark danger at the gas pump. Firefighters say the man bouncing in and out of his car caused static electricity, igniting the blaze. It’s happened three times in two months in Tucson, and twice in Albuquerque. Luckily so far, no reports here in Phoenix. “I must pump three times a day and i swear i never see that thing,” Michelle Cordova says about signs warnings of additional dangers like dialing up your cell phone when pumping. Most gas stations have them. Nick Pastore says it really boils down to common sense. “There are very few people in this world that are that important that you can’t put the cell down to put gas in your car.” To be absolutely safe, try holding onto a portion of your car when pumping, like the gas flip. It should ground you and prevent static electricity.

 

Firm fined over burned worker

An electrical firm has been fined #150,000 at Coventry Crown Court after a worker was badly burned. Southern Electric was fined #150,000 yesterday for two breaches of the Electricity at Work Regulations. The company was also ordered to pay #6,928 costs and #250 compensation to the injured worker, Sean Kilburn. The offences happened on Christmas Eve, 2000, at Marconi’s New Horizon Park, in Cromwell Street, Foleshill, Coventry where Southern Electric was doing electrical work. Mr Kilburn was employed by a sub-contractor working for Southern Electric on the site. Ian Bridge, prosecuing for the Health and Safety Executive, told the court the company had been moving 415 volt cables to a new switchboard. He said the company had planned to cut off the electricity to the components where Mr Kilburn was working but one was still live. When he lost his balance and fell against a mesh screen, electricity arced through the air for five seconds and inflicted burns on his hand, leg and wrist. He said: Mr Kilburn has scarring and still needs skin grafts to his leg. He added that the company has a good safety record and immediately after the accident took measures to make sure it couldn’t happen again. The court heard the damage to the company’s reputation could cost between #10million and #20million in lost contracts. Recorder Shaun Smith said: Shareholders are going to be hit in the pocket by this.

 

Hotel maintenance worker electrocuted

By Darran A. Simon, Daily Record

FLORHAM PARK — A 29-year-old hotel maintenance worker was electrocuted at work Wednesday morning as he was installing a new room air conditioner, police said. The man, a North Brunswick resident, was employed as a maintenance worker by Dolce Hamilton Park, which operates a hotel-conference center at 175 Park Ave. Borough police and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office said the man was electrocuted at around 11:15 a.m. as he did wiring in preparation for installing an air conditioner in a fourth-floor hotel guest room. Police did not release the name of the victim Wednesday because they had not yet notified the next of kin, Florham Park Police Lt. John Forlenza said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, Forlenza said. Lt. Stephen Foley, a spokesman for the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, said the electrocution appeared to be a work-related accidental death. The victim, who was alone in the room, was discovered by another maintenance worker within minutes of the electrocution, Forlenza said. The prestigious 219-room Dolce Hamilton Park has been in the borough for 13 years. Odette Fodor-Gernaert, director of corporate public relations for Dolce International, declined to comment on the incident Wednesday pending a full investigation. Fodor-Gernaert said company officials had not received the official report of the cause of death.

Wire electrocutes worker

2002-04-16
WARR ACRES — A workman died of electrocution early Monday when soft ground and a wind gust caused the ladder he was holding to shift and hit a nearby high voltage wire. Bobby Shoopman, 42, was pronounced dead at Integris Baptist Medical Center when efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, said Warr Acres Police Major Pete Markstone. Markstone said the accident occurred about 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Victory Christian Center complex at 4300 N MacArthur. Shoopman was a member of a work crew from Amprop Roof Repair that was preparing to repair the roof of a youth ministry building at the church. Amprop’s owner Rick Davis said workers were putting up a ladder to climb onto the roof when the accident occurred. Shoopman had worked for the roofing company for only 10 days, Davis said.

Man electrocuted on Webster rooftop

By Alan Morrell, Democrat and Chronicle

( April 17, 2002 ) — A Rochester man was electrocuted Tuesday when he touched a live wire while working atop an ice cream stand in Webster. Jorge Ramirez, 51, whose last known address was on Rossmore Street , was taken to Rochester General Hospital , where he died, said Webster Police Sgt. Steve Small. Ramirez, who worked for Micca Electric in Webster, was working on a fluorescent light fixture on top of Abbott’s Frozen Custard, 2195 Empire Blvd., when the accident happened about 3:50 p.m. Customers at Abbott’s administered CPR until members of the West Webster Fire Department arrived. Their personnel continued CPR. Monroe Ambulance transported Ramirez to the hospital. Crews from Rochester Gas and Electric Corp.’s Risk Management Assessment Team were on scene along with the Webster fire marshal, who was expected to contact the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Small said there appeared to be no foul play. “Everything appears to indicate that this was a tragic accident,” he said. Ramirez’s body was taken to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy. John Micca of Webster, the electric company owner, said Ramirez worked for him on and off for about six years. “He was working for himself, but he got sick and tired of his business so he came back to work for me,” Micca said. “He didn’t like handling the (bookkeeping) and all that.” Micca said he knew few details about what had happened. “I sent him on a job like I normally do,” he said. “I know he was all done, but he went back to check on two fluorescent bulbs to see why they didn’t work. Then, this happened.” The Abbott’s stand closed for a few hours while emergency workers investigated but reopened later Tuesday night. A manager there said she did not want to comment further.

 

Tree trimmer electrocuted in Sarasota

News-Journal wire services

SARASOTA — A tree trimmer died Monday when he pulled a palm frond into a power line, electrocuting him. His father was supervising the work crew. Ora Radcliff, 40, of Bradenton climbed the tree when a co-worker refused to cut the frond after feeling a slight shock when he touched it, authorities said. When Radcliff grabbed the frond, the branch touched the 7,620-volt line, energizing the tree and killing him, authorities told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Radcliff worked for Freddie Lawn & Tree Service, which is owned by his father, Freddie Radcliff. Ora Radcliff’s body remained tied to the tree, his arms blackened, until Florida Power & Light workers could cut the electricity and it could be removed.

 

UPDATE, INQUIRY INTO PYLON DEATH COMPLETE

Bainton: The Health and Safety Executive has completed its inquiry into the death of a worker electrocuted as he repaired an 11,000-volt power line. The HSE launched a major investigation after Yorkshire Electricity linesman Philip Hartley, 50, from Driffield, was killed as he worked on an overhead power line near Bainton Burrows Farm, Bainton, near Driffield, last October. Officers refused to rule out human error as a cause, following claims the power supply was switched back on while Mr Hartley – who had been with the company for 20 years – was still working. He was standing on a cherry picker – a crane with a platform surrounded by safety barriers used to lift workers repairing lines – when he suffered the massive electric shock. Colleagues working alongside him battled in vain to save him as they waited for paramedics. Electricity workers spoken to by the Mail claimed at the time that Mr Hartley’s death had damaged trust between linesmen and the engineers responsible for switching off supplies to power lines. The Mail understands an inquest into his death, with a jury sitting, should now take place later this year.

 

Man who saved co-worker learned value of CPR training

BY MARK ANDERSEN / Lincoln Journal Star

Kelly Higgins was just starting his shift operating one of eight printing presses at the Quebecor plant in Lincoln when a co-worker from a nearby press came running. A man working on some lighting above an idle press had cut two wires of a 480-volt, three-phase connection, sending a serious electrical shock through his body. It was 7:26 p.m. on April 30, 2001, and Higgins, 43, was about to have the second real-life test of his cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills. His actions in the next minutes could mean life or death, recovery or brain damage for the stranger now lying on the uppermost catwalk of a printing press. Higgins is one of about 15 people among the more than 600 Lincoln Quebecor employees listed as first responders. His co-workers know they should seek him out in an emergency. Higgins had always wanted to learn CPR — cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Then his company offered training for free. Higgins is also committee chairman for his son’s Boy Scout troop. He was among those who were requiring the boys to know CPR. It had seemed hypocritical, he said, to expect his son to learn it if he didn’t know how himself. Gov. Mike Johanns recently honored Higgins and others like him as lifesavers. Before being called upon to use his skills last year, Higgins had received three or four hours of CPRtraining. Now, he had only moments to put his knowledge into action. Climbing the 25 feet to where the man lay unconscious, Higgins found co-worker Robert Phillips already giving the victim mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The victim appeared to have no pulse, and Higgins estimated he had been down about two minutes. He knew brain damage would begin in a few more minutes, and death would follow. Since his initial training, Higgins had become somewhat skeptical of CPR. His first test of CPR skills had come in February 1999, when a longtime co-worker suffered a heart attack. “He didn’t make it,” Higgins said. His trainer had warned students not to expect miracles, but the failure hurt. Later, Higgins had arrived at his friend’s funeral after the casket had been closed. The last image of his longtime friend was of a man lying dead on the shop floor. For this new trial, Higgins concentrated on giving chest compressions, and also on directing Phillips when to give breaths. To himself he wondered if he was correctly recalling the ratio of breaths to heartbeats. He later learned he was giving the correct ratio for a single person performing CPR. The ratio is different when two people give it. “It shows that even if you can’t remember, you can still do some good,” he said. It seemed like forever before help arrived, Higgins said, but it was only minutes. He and other press workers carried the man down to the second catwalk, where they were met by emergency medical technicians. Monitors showed the man’s heart was in ventricular fibrillation, an ineffective fluttering that quickly leads to death. “His heart monitor looked like the stock market report,” Higgins said. Two electrical shocks restored the victim’s normal heart rhythms. The man later recovered to go home to Pennsylvania and Higgins never saw him again. But on the night of his save, Higgins changed his mind about CPR. He also called his wife. “Well, I’m one and one,” he said. “In baseball that’s 500.” He also remembers the look of pride in his son’s eyes. Reach Mark Andersen at 473-7238 or [email protected].

 

Firefighter gets jolt during fire

By Patrick Flanigan, Democrat and Chronicle

(April 12, 2002) – A Rochester firefighter was jolted by an electrical shock while battling a fire Friday morning. Jerry Randise was treated at Rochester General Hospital and released. The fire at 264-266 Weyl Street was reported at 2:03 a.m. and under control at 2:33 a.m., said Capt. Dan McBride. The fire destroyed a downstairs kitchen, spread to the adjacent apartment and to the second floor, McBride said. All occupants escaped safely. The American Red Cross of Rochester offered housing for one adult and three children, McBride said.

 

AEP worker electrocuted

By TIM LOGAN, Tribune Staff Writer

ELKHART — A worker for American Electric Power Co. died Thursday when he accidentally touched a power line carrying 12,000 volts. Jeff Dittmar, 27, of Elkhart, was killed immediately, said AEP spokesman Tom Kratt. Dittmar was in a bucket truck about 17 feet off the ground installing a third power line between two poles, Kratt said. Somehow, Dittmar touched one of the two live lines and was electrocuted. The accident occurred about 8:45 a.m. in the 23300 block of County Road 6 northeast of Elkhart. It caused an electrical substation to shut down and cut power to nearly 1,000 homes and businesses in the area for about an hour. Dittmar grew up in northern Michigan but had worked at the utility in Elkhart for seven years, Kratt said. He was an experienced line mechanic. “This is unbelievably tragic,” Kratt said. “It’s going to hit our guys pretty hard.” Both AEP and the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department will conduct investigations, but it appears to have been an accident. Elkhart County Coroner Dr. Jeff Landrum said he would likely conduct an autopsy today. “Death was certainly by electrocution, and it was accidental,” Landrum said. “But we’ll be doing an autopsy to get it on the record, especially since it was an industrial accident.”

It was AEP’s first fatality in the area since 1985, when a worker was killed in South Bend, Kratt said.

 

Outage leaves more than 100 without power

Staff report

DAYTONA BEACH — The raised bed of a dump truck snagged some power lines Tuesday on Keech Street , leaving more than 100 customers temporarily without electricity, police said. Freddie Watson, 48, of Daytona Beach , a driver for Halifax Paving, had just dumped the 10-wheeler’s load and was northbound on Keech Street at noon when the raised bed caught the wires at Loomis Avenue . “I was going on a lunch break. I changed gears and then I heard the whining. I looked back and it was up,” Watson said. “I raised it by mistake.” The bed snapped the top of a utility pole near Campbell Middle School , snapping power lines that carried electricity to 101 customers, said Vickie Henson, spokeswoman for Florida Power & Light Co. Electricity was restored at 2:41 p.m. after an FPL crew replaced the pole and wires, Henson said. Police said no one was injured in the accident, but estimated it caused $4,000 in damages to the power equipment. Charges are pending further investigation, police said.

 

Electrical incident delays hospital opening
The new Bishop Auckland Hospital ‘s outpatient department may not meet its planned opening date of this Monday following an electrical incident that involved two workmen sustaining serious shocks from the permanent installation last month. Both men were able to leave Middlesborough General Hospital following treatment on the same day. It is reported that the outcome of an HSE investigation into the incident will have a bearing on the timing of the opening of the privately-financed hospital to the public. Brian James, Director of Planning and Operations for the Trust said: “Obviously until we get the HSE report we are not in a position to fully understand the nature of what caused the incident. Until we have established that, we would clearly be unhappy without further reassurance about the safety of the hospital’s electrical distribution system. “We are working with our partners to try to understand exactly what happened in the incident and to make sure the electricity supply system is safe and robust for the future.”

 

Officials Investigate Electrocution Of Worker

Officials are still trying to determine how a 33-year veteran of First Energy Corp. was electrocuted Thursday. NewsChannel5 reported that Lee Woody, 54, was working on underground power lines at Superior and Euclid avenues when he came into contact with 4,000 volts of electricity. Officials said that a colleague on the ground level discovered him unconscious. Woody died at Huron Hospital .

UPDATE, Nuclear Report Blames Electrician
Sun Apr 7, 12:27 AM ET

ATHENS, Ala. – An electrician’s mistake caused an accident at the Browns Ferry nuclear power plant last month that seriously burned four workers, a Tennessee Valley Authority report said. The TVA’s serious accident investigation team found that the electrician brought a safety-grounding cable too close to an energized portion of a 4,160-volt circuit breaker. An electrical arc jumped between the cable and the energized portion of the breaker, burning the four men, Browns Ferry spokesman Craig Beasley said Friday. The TVA and state emergency management officials said there was no danger of a release of radioactivity from the north Alabama plant. The accident occurred on March 26 in the Unit 3 reactor turbine building of the TVA-run plant. The reactor had been shut earlier in the day for refueling. The men remain at home recovering from their injuries.

 

Worker burned by jolt at Kodak

Democrat and Chronicle

( April 6, 2002 ) — An contract worker was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital on Friday after he cut into an electrical line at Eastman Kokak’s Hawkeye plant on St. Paul Street . Darrell Grigg, spokesman for Rural/Metro Medical Services, said the worker sustained third- degree burns on his hands after he cut into a 227-volt power line about 1:45 p.m. He was unresponsive at first but became responsive en route to the hospital, Grigg said. He was in serious but stable condition, Grigg said. His name was not available.

UPDATE, Family Of Electrocution Victim Sues FPL

The family of a man who was electrocuted at a Riviera Beach marina in September 2001 filed a lawsuit, alleging that Florida Power and Light was negligent. Stephen Dolch (pictured, right), 34, was operating a boatlift at the marina when the lift came in contact with a live power line. The contact sent thousands of volts of electricity into Dolch’s body, killing him almost instantly. “The tires on the lift were actually melted,” Dolch’s mother, Trina, said. “I just can’t imagine what my son’s body looked like. We did see Stephen. His face was saved, but they covered his body. I could still smell the smoke on him.” After talking with marina workers, Dolch’s parents said they discovered that the wire that electrocuted their son was not providing electricity to any customers and had never been de-energized, despite requests from the marina. “I just went bananas,” Dolch’s father, Wil, said. “It’s just something words cannot describe. We had found out they’d been notified about this problem and the marina had asked to have it removed several times prior to this happening.” The lawsuit came just weeks after two incidents in which FPL incurred criticism for its response to emergency calls. Three weeks ago, tree-trimmer Pedro Grave suffered for more than 40 minutes after he came into contact with a live wire. FPL administrators made a formal apology because of the slow response time. This week, rescue crews in Saint Lucie County blasted FPL because they were put on hold by dispatchers as they tried to save a couple trapped in a car surrounded by downed power lines. The Dolches’ attorney, David French, said the other two cases will not necessarily be a part of his case. However, he said they show a pattern of the company not living up to its responsibility to keep the community safe. FPL representatives did not return phone calls from Eyewitness News 25 regarding the Dolch case.

 

TVA investigates electrical ’flash’

By Dennis Sherer, Staff Writer, March 28, 2002

Tennessee Valley Authority investigators are trying to determine what caused a 4,160-volt arc of electricity to erupt from a circuit breaker at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant on Tuesday, burning four men. The injured electrical workers – Fred Pendergrass, David Letson and Dan Young of the Shoals and Ed Minyard of Athens – were listed in satisfactory condition at UAB Hospital in Birmingham . TVA spokesman Terry Johnson said a team of human resources workers and managers was dispatched to the hospital Wednesday morning to offer assistance to the injured men and their families. “We want to make sure the immediate needs of the employees are being met,” he said. Pendergrass, Letson and Minyard are TVA employees. Young works for Stone and Webster, an engineering firm that contracts with the federal agency. The men were burned by intense heat from the high-energy electrical arc that spewed from the circuit breaker around 6 p.m. Tuesday. Johnson said the arc lasted only an instant. “It was not so much an electrical fire as it was a flash,” he said. “It was kind of like the spark you get at home if you unplug the vacuum cleaner while it is still running. But instead of 110 volts, this was 4,000 volts.” The circuit breaker is part of a power-supply system at the nuclear plant near Athens . Johnson said the accident occurred in the building where turbines for the electrical power generators are housed. The building is separate from the plant’s nuclear reactors. “This was simply an industrial accident. It was not nuclear-related,” he said. “The health and well-being of the public was not threatened.” A team of TVA investigators began assembling at the nuclear plant Tuesday night to search for what caused the circuit breaker to malfunction. “We are conducting a broad-based investigation,” Browns Ferry spokesman Craig Beasley said. “Our investigation team includes safety experts, electrical experts and nuclear experts from across the TVA system. They are going to be gathering facts, conducting interviews and looking into what happened so we can make sure this kind of accident does not happen again.” An Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigator is expected to visit the plant, possibly later this week. Beasley said the investigation will last as long as needed to find the cause of the accident. Tuesday’s accident was the first causing serious injuries to maintenance workers at the plant since July 1989, Johnson said. The men injured Tuesday were part of a team working on the Unit 3 reactor, which was shut down as scheduled earlier in the day for refueling and maintenance, Johnson said. Work continued Wednesday. Beasley said while the workers were focused on doing jobs safely Wednesday, they were thinking about the injured men. “A lot of folks knew these men. They are good men.”

 

UPDATE, Worker Deaths Bring Florida Company more than $50,000 in OSHA Fines

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — A Florida company’s failure to protect workers from electrocution hazards contributed to two fatalities and may cost the company $50,250 in proposed penalties, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced. On Sept. 19, 2001, two employees of South Florida Yachts, Inc. were electrocuted when a 35-foot high traveling hoist they were using to remove a boat from a storage area came in contact with a 30- foot high, 7,500 volt overhead powerline. Following an inspection of the accident, OSHA cited South Florida Yachts for one willful violation of safety standards and proposed a penalty totaling $49,000 for failing to alert workers to potential hazards and instruct them about protective measures needed to perform their jobs safely. “This employer knew power lines were obstructing the storage area; was aware of the height of the traveling hoist, and was familiar with labeling on the equipment warning against getting close to electrical hazards,” said Luis Santiago, OSHA’s Ft. Lauderdale area director. “Yet, company officials took no action to remove the powerlines or to alert workers to the hazard.”  In 1999, in response to the high rate of construction accidents in Florida, OSHA launched the CARE (Construction Accident Reduction Emphasis) program and established special local emphasis programs — falls and electrical — to address the high accident rate attributable to these two hazards. In fiscal year 2000, there were 37 electrical accidents in the southeast of which 20, or 54 percent, involved overhead powerlines. In 2001, the number of shocks or electrocutions had dropped to 30 but powerline-related accidents remained at 20, or 67 percent of the total. So far this fiscal year, seven of the 13 electrical accidents, a total of 54 percent, resulted from contact with powerlines. “Far too many Florida workers are electrocuted on the job,” said Santiago. “In this case, although company officials knew the powerlines were a potential threat, they took no remedial action.” One serious citation in connection with the inspection drew a fine of $1,250 for absence of a deflecting device or bumper on the traveling hoist to prevent a crushing accident. South Florida Yachts employs 28 workers in boat sales, service and storage. The company has 15 working days to contest OSHA’s citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Inspection of the fatal accident was conducted by OSHA’s area office at Jacaranda Executive Court, 8040 Peters Rd., Building H-100, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33324-4029; telephone: (954) 424-0242.

 

Contractor rescued from roof; Man may have grabbed live wire after he was startled by birds

By JOHN BUGBEE, Dispatch/Sunday News

In the few seconds it took him to retrieve a tape measure from their truck, Warren Mattox realized his boss was in trouble on the garage roof they were getting ready to repair this morning in York City. “He was standing there holding his hand and fell back on the roof,” Mattox said. Frank Jarbeck Jr., 32, had touched a live wire at 8:07 a.m.; a jolt of electricity burned his hand and knocked him unconscious on the roof at 317 Smyser St. And what sounded to Mattox like a backfire from a truck was actually the sound of Jarbeck being hit by the electricity. Working as a roofer, Mattox said he’s seen workers “zapped” by electrical wires. “That’s when I put two and two together,” he said. Mattox, 23, said he rushed up the ladder to help Jarbeck on top of the two-story cinder-block building in the back yard of a home. A fellow worker called 911 on a cell phone. In the meantime, Jarbeck slipped in and out of consciousness, Mattox said. “He said, “What happened?'” Mattox said. Then Jarbeck said something about pigeons. Pigeons in the eaves of the building had bolted from their nesting area, startling Jarbeck. “‘I was ducking from them,'” Mattox said Jarbeck told him before he lost consciousness. In ducking he may have lost his balance and inadvertently grabbed at the wire strung along the roof edge, Mattox said. Using ropes, firefighters guided a litter containing the unconscious Jarbeck down the side rails of the ladder. Once he was on the ground. he was placed in a waiting stretcher. Jarbeck was taken to the York Hospital emergency room where he was being evaluated late this morning, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Downtown electrical-vault fire empties hotel, shuts down power

Friday, March 29, 2002, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF

A fire and two explosions in an electrical vault sent smoke billowing into the air above a downtown Seattle block yesterday, forcing the shutoff of electricity to several downtown businesses for more than three hours. The fire in an electrical vault behind the Hotel Monaco, 1101 Fourth Ave., filled the alley between Seneca and Spring streets and the hotel with smoke, forcing the evacuation of the hotel. It took firefighters close to 40 minutes to put out the blaze. “A lot of smoke went into the basement area” of the hotel, Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Sue Stangl said. “Bystanders said they saw flames.” An estimate of the damage had not been made last night. The cause is under investigation, though initial suspicions pointed to what Seattle City Light spokesman Larry Vogel described as “cooking oil” found in the vault after the fire was out. There were no serious injuries. A 27-year-old hotel worker complained of muffled hearing as a result of the noise from the explosions. He was treated and released from Harborview Medical Center.  City Light cut power to the hotel and to four other businesses after the fire was reported. The hotel was evacuated, and fire crews used fans to blow smoke out of it. At the Immunex building, which houses laboratories and some corporate headquarters operations for the biotech company, spokeswoman Robin Shapiro said a backup generator kicked in when the power died. “There are labs in that building, which is why we’ve been so focused on contingency planning there,” Shapiro said. “Everything worked as it should have.” By rerouting power, electrical service was restored shortly after 5 p.m. to Immunex, Washington Mutual Data Center, 1001 Fourth Avenue Building and Waterfront Court No. 1.

 

Power line worker electrocuted in Seminole County

The Associated Press

GENEVA, Fla. – A utility worker was electrocuted when a truck’s boom touched a power line Thursday, authorities said. Benjamin Richard Burr, 20, was standing next to the truck and apparently came in contact with the electrical current, said Steve Olson, a Seminole County Sheriff’s Office spokesman. Paramedics rushed Burr to Central Florida Regional Medical Center in Sanford, where he was pronounced dead. Burr worked for Alexandria, La.-based Red Simpson Inc., a subcontractor of Florida Power and Light. He was a member of a crew laying down power poles along State Road 426 near the intersection of Seminole Woods Boulevard. A message seeking comment left at Red Simpson, Inc. was not immediately returned Thursday afternoon. Geneva is about 20 miles northeast of Orlando.

Man Electrocuted At S.R. 56
By CANDACE J. SAMOLINSKI, Published: Mar 28, 2002

WESLEY CHAPEL – A shadow was cast over the much-anticipated opening of State Road 56 when a worker was electrocuted during final preparations. The accident happened at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday when two employees of Allied Graphics in Tampa were trying to install a sign near the intersection of S.R. 56 and State Road 581. Mark Ian Seyer, 35, of 2171 Dixie Garden Loop in Holiday, had just climbed over a barbed-wire fence and was carrying a metal ladder when he was knocked to the ground by an electrical jolt, said Jon Powers, spokesman for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. It appeared either Seyer or the ladder had come into contact with Withlacoochee Electric power pole. It wasn’t clear whether it was a guide wire that touched live wires and caused the accident. A group of Tampa Electric Co. workers rushed to help Seyer, Powers said. They tried unsuccessfully to revive him while awaiting paramedics. Under a mutual-aid agreement with Hillsborough and Pasco counties, Tampa Fire Rescue responded to the 11:45 a.m. 911 call because it was closest. Seyer was pronounced dead an hour later at Tampa General Hospital, Tampa Deputy Chief Terry Jones said. “I know they worked on him all the way to the hospital,” he said. News of the man’s death devastated Allied co-workers, who said they were struggling to deal with the accident. “Allied is grieving at this time because we have lost a valuable employee and a friend to us all,” company officials said in a statement. The co-worker who was helping Seyer with the sign installation wasn’t injured. The cause of the accident is being investigated by officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Reporter Candace J. Samolinski can be reached at (813) 948-4215.

 

Son of Kansas legislator is electrocuted

Last Modified: 11:38 a.m. 3/21/2002, The Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The son of a prominent Kansas legislator was electrocuted while doing flooring work at an underground storage warehouse in southwest Missouri. Kevin Neufeld, 37, died about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday at Dairy Concepts in Springfield, officials said. Neufeld is the son of Republican Rep. Melvin Neufeld of Ingalls, in southwest Kansas. The younger Neufeld co-owns Doores Neufeld Co., a flooring business in the Kansas City suburb of Blue Springs. His company was doing some remodeling work for Dairy Concepts, which leases a temperature-controlled warehouse at Underground Storage Inc., officials said. Neufeld apparently was electrocuted when he unplugged a 480-volt cord to a piece of equipment workers had been using from an electrical panel, Springfield police spokesman Kirk Manlove said. Workers got worried when Neufeld didn’t immediately return. They found him with burns to his arms and hands, lying on the floor, next to the cord, Manlove said. There were no witnesses to the incident, Manlove said. The investigation was continuing. Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials were notified. Neufeld lived in Lee’s Summit with his wife and two daughters, ages 11 and 8. The elder Neufeld is vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Last November, Kansas state Rep. Gene O’Brien, D-Parsons, suffered a broken vertebra in his back after he fell from scaffolding and landed on a concrete floor at PSI Ready Mix in Branson. He owns O’Brien Ready Mix, which has Kansas offices in Parsons, St. Paul and Oswego.

 

OSHA begins investigating deaths

Two workplace fatalities in one day unusual, according to supervisor.

By Laura Bauer Menner, News-Leader

Federal safety agents are in Springfield today investigating two unrelated fatal accidents at city workplaces in less than 16 hours. The agents from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration already have reports from Springfield Police on the two deaths – one in which a man was electrocuted and another in which a man was crushed by a metal trash container. Police had finished the investigation of the Wednesday-night electrocution at Springfield Underground when about 12 hours later officers were called to Waste Management Inc., where a worker was crushed by a one-ton Dumpster being loaded onto a trailer. It’s definitely bizarre, said Police Chief Lynn Rowe of the back-to-back fatalities. Manuel Olmedo, who supervises the Western Missouri district of OSHA, said it is unusual for two incidents to happen in one city in one day. His agents will spend weeks to months investigating both and have the investigations complete within six months, including issuing citations, if they are necessary. We’ll try to determine best we can what happened and how, and secondarily, if they were committed in violation of OSHA standards, Olmedo said Thursday. Workers and officials at the two locations were asking the same questions as word spread of the accidents. Authorities believe Kevin Neufeld, 36, of Lee’s Summit died about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday after he was electrocuted by what authorities believe was 480 volts. He was working on a flooring restoration project at DairiConcepts, which leases space at 1904 N. LeCompte Road from Springfield Underground. Lawrence Booker, 50, of Lebanon died Thursday afternoon while loading the Dumpster onto a trailer at Waste Management in the 2100 block of West Bennett Street. Along with the police investigation and the one under way by OSHA, officials at both locations of the accidents will conduct their own probe. We’re still gathering facts, said Tom Langston, vice president of real estate for Springfield Underground, which leases space out to businesses such as DairiConcepts. Neufeld, who worked for Doores and Neufeld Flooring of Blue Springs, was subcontractor on a remodeling project for a company hired by DairiConcepts. The whole thing, it’s sad, just sad, Langston said. You certainly don’t like to have these things happen. About 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, Neufeld was working with members of his crew. When he hadn’t come back to the group, co-workers went looking for him, authorities said. His co-workers went and found him with no pulse, not breathing and with the (electrical) cord laying beside him, said Officer Kirk Manlove, Springfield police spokesman. There were burns on Neufeld’s arm. Investigators believe Neufeld was unplugging a power cord from a power panel when he was electrocuted. Langston said authorities have ruled out that the accident was caused by electrical problems or problems with the power panel. He was rushed to Cox Medical Center South, where he soon died. We express our sorrow, said John Weidner, president of DairiConcepts, a company that processes dairy ingredients. His family is in our thoughts and prayers. The second fatal accident happened Thursday afternoon when Booker was outside his truck working to load the metal container onto a trailer. The empty container had been placed onto the trailer but authorities believe the rails of each were not aligned. That’s when the container started to fall toward Booker. One witness saw the box as it was toppling over onto him and saw him trying to run away, but it was too late, Manlove said. The container is 22 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8 feet deep. Officials with Waste Management said they wouldn’t comment until the investigation is complete. Authorities said heavy winds also may have contributed to Booker’s death. The investigation by OSHA agents will look at workplace conditions and actions by the workers. We mainly try to find out what happened, so it doesn’t happen again, Olmedo said Thursday.

 

UPDATE, Electrocuted man’s boss let insurance policy lapse

State unsure if family eligible for benefits, 03/23/02, Terry Witt

A Crystal River company was not carrying workers’ compensation insurance at the time an employee was electrocuted at a job site Feb. 21, according to the Florida Department of Labor. Spokeswoman Bethany Kemp said Nature Coast Electric was insured until Nov. 9, 2001, when Preferred Insurance in Palm Beach cancelled the policy for non-payment. James Gorman IV died at a job site in Ozello when he touched the metal frame of a mobile home that was electrified. Gorman, the sole breadwinner in the house, left behind his widow, Cheryl, and two children at home, Samuel 11, and Melissa, 9. Kemp said she doubted that Preferred Insurance would be held liable in the death because the policy had been cancelled several months earlier. Citrus County License Inspector Kimberly Corbin said Nature Coast Electric was granted an exemption from workers’ compensation insurance because it claimed to have no employees. We wouldn’t have had a red flag, she said. We knew he had a license but didn’t know he had employees until now. Beth and Jerry Yant, owners of Nature Coast Electric, have until Monday to produce their employee records and dates of insurance coverage dating back three years. Department of Labor spokesman Phillip Cox said Jerry Yant told an investigator that all his employees quit after finding out he had no workers’ compensation coverage. Cox said the lack of employees was the only reason the investigator didn’t shut down the business this week. Kemp was not certain whether James Gorman’s family would be entitled to any workers’ compensation benefits. Pat Johnson, bureau chief for the employee assistance department in the Department of Labor, said if the company had no workers’ compensation insurance, the family could ask the agency for assistance. She said the probable scenario is that the case would go before a workers’ compensation judge, who would determine if the family is entitled to benefits. Jeff Thomson, an investigator for the Department of Labor who works for the compliance section, also confirmed that Nature Coast Electric had no workers’ compensation at the time of the death. However, he said the investigation is active and he could not release details. Beth Yant had no comment on whether she and her husband were carrying workers’ compensation coverage at the time of James Gorman’s death. I’m not commenting on that, she said, referring a reporter to attorney Jim Neal. Neal did not return phone calls Thursday and Friday.

 

Two Injured in Flash Fire at Auto Parts Plant

Sanford, NC, United States, 3/19/2002- 9:30 AM

An electrical contractor working at a GKN Automotive Inc. plant received second- and third-degree burns over about 40 percent of his body, and a second electrician received minor injuries following a flash fire at the plant Tuesday (3/19/2002). The fire occurred about 9:30 a.m., but burned itself out before fire fighters arrived. The company manufactures constant velocity joints used in front-wheel-drive vehicles.

 

Air hose suspected in near electrocution

A semi-conductive rubber air hose may be to blame for an accident that left an electrical contractor severely burned Monday afternoon. Jim Cornelius, 48, was doing power-pole maintenance work from the bucket of a crane truck when he somehow made contact with a 14,400-volt line. He suffered severe burns on his face and his right hand and arm, but was able to communicate and walked to the gurney when the ambulance arrived, according the emergency response officials. Cornelius was transferred Monday evening to a burn center at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley , Colo. The nurse supervisor at the burn center said Cornelius was on a ventilator and in the intensive care unit, but was improving. he said he was scheduled to have the dead skin removed from the burned areas and that “he had quite a bit of rehabilitation to do.” Mike Blenkush, the vice president of corporate communications for Powder River Energy Corp., the transmission company who subcontracted the injured worker, said their safety analyst was still working on investigating the accident. No final cause of the accident has been determined, he said. Cornelius was a subcontractor who has worked for Sturgis, S.D.-based Live Line Maintenance for about five or six years, according to Live Line’s owner Howard Baldwin. Baldwin said that from what he had heard Cornelius’ condition “wasn’t near as bad” as it could have been. “I had a lot of confidence in him,” Baldwin said. Near the electric lines, Baldwin said they never use electric tools, only air-powered ones. Air pressure operates the tools and is supplied through non-conducting nylon air tubes. When the tube Cornelius was using broke, he apparently bought a regular rubber hose, which has carbon in it, to replace it, Baldwin said. “I think he just bought a regular air line, thinking it was rubber, but that stuff has carbon in it, like it has in tires and I am virtually certain that’s what got him in trouble.” The carbon in the rubber makes the rubber semi-conductive, Baldwin said. Baldwin said he did not know about the rubber hose until after the accident happened, or he would have made Cornelius exchange it for a nylon hose. When doing line maintenance, Baldwin said special protective gloves are worn that insulate the wearer from the transmission lines. He said even if the wearer touched a line with the gloves on, nothing would happen. By Adam Rankin News-Record Writer

Electrical worker critically injured

March 12, 2002

An electrical contractor was critically hurt Monday afternoon when he touched a high-voltage transmission line while doing maintenance work from a crane’s bucket. The accident occurred about 40 miles south of Gillette near the intersection of Keeline and Hilight Roads, according to Lt. Rod Warne of the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office. The 48-year-old man, who wasn’t identified, was just finishing the replacement of power pole insulators when his bucket reportedly swung toward the 14,400-kilovolt line as he was descending, according to Jeff Rech, the southern coordinator for the Campbell County Fire Department. The worker reportedly touched the line with his right hand and suffered severe burns on his right hand, face and right arm, he said. “It’s hard to say what kind of internal injuries he’s got with that kind of voltage going through him,” Rech said. An unidentified co-worker lowered the injured worker to the ground in the crane’s bucket and called for emergency response, Rech said. The Wright Fire Department responded shortly after 1 p.m., he said. The man was taken to Campbell County Memorial Hospital and later transferred to a burn center in Greeley, Colo. The two workers were the only workers at the site. Mike Blenkush, the vice president for corporate communications for Powder River Energy Corp., said the contractors were doing general maintenance work on the transmission company’s lines. Blenkush said the contractors worked for Sturgis, S.D.-based Live Line Maintenance. A safety inspector for PreCorp investigated the scene of the accident Monday evening, he said. But until the employee can be interviewed and the accident is fully investigated, Blenkush said he couldn’t speculate on the cause of the accident.

 

British soldier electrocuted in German rail accident

A British soldier has been electrocuted after climbing on to a tank on a freight train. The 24-year-old Scots Dragoons Guardsman came into contact with overhead wires carrying 15,000 volts. He hasn’t yet been named. He was en-route with his regiment to a new base in Germany when the accident happened. An ambulance service spokesman said the soldier died instantly. The accident happened at the Linden train station in Hanover. It closed the line between Hanover and Haste for several hours. Army spokesman Robert Fishwick said: “We can’t give a lot of details out because at the moment the family of the young man have not been informed. We will release details only when the military and civilian authorities have finished their investigation.” Hans Juergen Frohns from the German railway authority, the DBB, said: “As far as we are concerned the overhead lines complied with all the regulations and were not too low. This man simply climbed too high with tragic consequences.” The train loaded with Challenger tanks stopped on its way to Falling-Bostel, 30 minutes south of Hamburg. Mr Fishwick added: “It is normal that when there is a stop, they take the opportunity to check the fastenings keeping the tank securely on the freight car. “But he must have climbed too high and was electrocuted by the overhead power line. The emergency services were on the scene really quickly, but with that amount of power going through your body there was no chance. “No other soldier was injured. The dead man’s body is still in Germany and will be released when the inquiry is finished.”

 

Two men burned at work site for Phillies stadium

Two workmen at the Phillies stadium construction site on Pattison Avenue were burned when electrical equipment malfunctioned yesterday morning. Dave Dannon, 27, and Joseph Tookes, 25, both employees of Precision Electric Co., of Philadelphia, were taken to St. Agnes Hospital Burn Center where they are reported in stable condition, police said. Dannon suffered second-degree flash burns to his face and Tookes suffered third-degree flash burns to his face and hands, police said. The men were working at the site’s “electrical shanty” – a small wooden structure where the power controls are housed. Phillies spokeswoman Sharon Swanson said all the power lines that lie under the construction site end at the shanty. The power was shut off, but work digging the stadium foundation, now 23 feet deep and 25 percent complete, continued yesterday. * Rose DeWolf

 

Verizon worker electrocuted

From staff reports

VIENNA – Despite a desperate attempt by a co-worker to save him, a Verizon employee was electrocuted while repairing a downed line Monday, Oneida County sheriff’s deputies said. Jarrod Lyon, 28, of Howard Avenue, Dolgeville was working on Herder Road in the western Oneida County town of Vienna at about 1:30 p.m. when the accident happened, deputies said. High winds downed several power and phone lines through the region Sunday. Deputies said this is what happened: Lyon was in a bucket truck about 15 to 20 feet high, while his partner Joseph Aiello was on the ground. They were handling an unshielded support cable attached to several poles. Lyon held a loose end under his arm, using a device providing tension with one hand while shaking the cable through the supports on the poles with the other hand. As the cable moved, it came in contact with the 12,500-volt primary line above. The power followed the cable 1,000 feet to Lyon, passed through him and then to the ground. Aiello, no age or address available, lowered Lyon to the ground and started CPR. McConnellsville firefighters responded and assisted with CPR as Lyons was taken to Rome Memorial Hospital where he died of the injuries, deputies said. Aiello, though near Lyon, was unhurt. Albany-area Verizon spokesman Cliff Lee did not discuss or other specifics Monday. Verizon officials will thoroughly investigate the circumstances of the accident, he said. This is obviously a very tragic event, Lee said. Roberts-Buck Funeral Home of Dolgeville was handling Lyon’s arrangements, which were incomplete as of Monday night. Contributing: Kelly Hassett, Tim Blydenburgh

 

HOME SAFETY, Haven Officer Electrocuted by Wiring

Monday, March 11, 2002, By JOHN CHAMBLISS, The Ledger

INVERNESS — A Winter Haven police officer was electrocuted Saturday afternoon while hanging a ceiling fan at the home of his girlfriend’s parents in Inverness, the Winter Haven Police Department reported. Corey Jon Bacon, 26, who has been with the department for four years, was in the attic hammering a bracket to hold a fan when he was electrocuted about 1 p.m., said Winter Haven police Sgt. Joey Yeako. “The voltage line was hidden by insulation and the nail went through the line,” Yeako said. Yeako speculated that Bacon hammered into a 220-volt line. Bacon was taken by ambulance to Citrus Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead about 2 p.m., a nursing supervisor said. Bacon moved from Maryland to Winter Haven in 1998, police said. “He was a good guy, an aggressive officer,” Yeako said. After completing his basic training at South Florida Community College, he joined the Winter Haven Police Department and served as an officer and field training officer, police reported. In 2001, Bacon received the DEUCE award from MADD for his aggressive enforcement of drunk driving laws. Police Major Mary Mariani said Bacon was an intelligent officer who had a chance to move up the ranks at the department. “He went out and did his job well,” Mariani said Sunday. “But he still had a kind side and always thought of others.” “He was helping others when he died,” Mariani said. “He will be missed.” John Chambliss can be reached at [email protected] or 863-802-7539.

 

UPDATE, Ship worker’s death was by electrocution, kin say

By MATTHEW DOLAN, The Virginian-Pilot, March 6, 2002

NORFOLK — A 59-year-old civilian worker who died Monday aboard a Navy supply ship may have been the victim of electrocution, according to his family members. Wayne Cherry had been working aboard the Supply, a fast combat support ship visiting Norfolk during a routine port visit at Norfolk Naval Station. Navy officials declined to release details about the fatal accident that occurred about 3 p.m. Monday. But Cherry’s brother in Michigan said that family members were told that electrocution was the likely cause. Cherry, a electronics technician living in Norfolk, was working on the ship’s lighting at the time, said William L. Cook, a spokesman for Military Sealift Command at the naval station. Cherry’s brother said Wayne Cherry was married. Other details about his background were not immediately available Tuesday. Although officials with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service responded to the accident scene, Navy officials said they were waiting until the autopsy to decide whether more investigation is needed. Foul play, they said, was not a factor in Cherry’s death. The Supply, commissioned in 1994, has a crew of 120 civilians and 25 military personnel. The 730-foot ship was moved from active Navy service to the Military Sealift Command on July 1, 2001. The command, with a crew comprised largely of civilians, overseas noncombatant ships that supply and resupply Navy ships. With 21 years in civilian service, Cherry spent the last 12 years working for the sealift command, Cook said. Reach Matthew Dolan at [email protected] or 446-2322.

 

Golden Gate man electrocuted at Bonita construction site

Saturday, March 9, 2002, By MARY KELLI BRIDGES

A 35-year-old Golden Gate man was killed Friday morning when he was electrocuted while working on a house under construction in Bonita Springs. Larry “Neal” Jones, 3173 S.W. 53rd Ave., was working for Premier Electric of North Naples on a junction box on the side of a house at the corner of Tarpon Street and Bayview Drive when he touched a live wire, said his boss Robert Forbis, owner of the company. The accident happened at about 10:45 a.m. Jones was taken to NCH North Collier hospital, where he was pronounced dead soon after, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. “This guy was really a hard-working guy, just really motivated,” Forbis said. Forbis said Jones’ supervisor was on his way to the other side of the house to turn off the main breaker for the electricity so Jones could work on the junction box when it happened. Forbis said Jones started working before the energy to the house was cut off. The Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit was called to the scene to investigate Friday morning. The results of that investigation weren’t complete later in the day. Forbis said he doesn’t think houses still under construction should have electricity already hooked up. He said it’s a rule that should be changed to the way it was done in the past, when electricians used temporary power poles in front of the homes to plug in cords. “It was just a matter of time before someone got killed,” Forbis said. “This law needs to be changed today before someone gets hurt Monday.” Forbis said Jones had worked for his company for 1= years. Forbis said this is the first time in the history of his company, which started in 1988, that someone was killed or seriously injured.

 

Electric worker killed
By DARLA McFARLAND, The Examiner

An out-of-town electrical crew worker, repairing damage from the recent ice storm, was electrocuted Thursday afternoon. The victim was Chad Miller, 27, of Winterset, Iowa. Miller had “accidental contact” with a primary power line while moving a transformer from a damaged pole to a new one, said Independence Power and Light director George Morrow. The primary line carries about 13,800 volts of electricity. Another worker was able to cut the power and retrieve Miller from where he dangled 30 feet up the pole. The accident occurred about 2:50 p.m. in the 5000 block of Marion Street. Miller was taken by ambulance to Independence Regional Health Center. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. The victim was an employee of Tiede’s Line Construction, Inc., a private electrical line contractor hired by IPL to assist with the storm clean up. An employee at Tiede’s main office in Hayes, Kan., said this morning that the company had no comment on the accident. The employee confirmed that Miller worked for Tiede’s and said his family has been notified. IPL, along with Tiede’s, will investigate the accident. Available information indicated that there was no equipment failure or outside factor involved in the wire contact, Morrow said. All contractors working for IPL are required to carry their own liability and workers’ compensation insurance. Tiede’s has been working on the clean-up effort since right after the storm and has done other work for IPL in the past, Morrow said. To reach Darla McFarland e-mail [email protected] or call her at 350-6321.

 

UNAUTHORIZED Work causes electrical near miss

On October 3, 2001, at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), a worker used a high-voltage hotstick to open three fused cutouts in a 2,300-volt Westinghouse switchgear cabinet without authorization to do so, without checking for voltage, and without wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).  Workers were preparing to replace an induction regulator located in Building 901 (Cyclotron).  The line side of the fused cutouts was energized, but there was no load on the circuit.  There were no injuries.  However, because of the potential for serious personnel injury, the facility manager reported this occurrence as a near miss.  A final report was filed on January 29, 2002, which provides additional information and insight into the incident.  (ORPS Report CH-BH-BNL-BNL-2001-0026). In preparation for the induction regulator replacement, towerline workers were sent to inspect the Westinghouse switchgear cabinet (Figure 1).  During this inspection a Chemistry Department worker, who was not part of the inspection team, opened the fused cutouts on his own initiative to facilitate the inspection.  This individual followed verbal procedures he had been given earlier by a now-retired cyclotron operator, who had informed him that opening contacts in the power circuit de-energized the fuses.  Believing the circuit was de-energized, the worker did not check for voltage and was not wearing appropriate PPE. The towerline workers and the BNL supervisor who were in an adjacent room and who witnessed only the opening of the third fused cutout explained the seriousness of the work activity and the need to use proper PPE to the BNL worker and to his supervisor.  The towerline workers notified their supervisor and the Plant Engineering Environmental Safety and Health Coordinator. In the course of the inspection, the towerline workers addressed additional equipment issues related to the transformer room.  These issues involved a missing view port in a switchgear cabinet, out-of-date labels, and inadequate space for the switchgear cabinets.  As a result of this inspection, the Laboratory Electrical Safety Officer locked out the 2,300-volt Westinghouse switchgear cabinet equipment.  The direct cause of the incident was that the worker performed hazardous work without adequate work planning and control.  The worker failed to recognize that the activity required a pre-job hazard review and formal authorization, and opened the fused cutouts on his own initiative.

The worker’s supervisor failed to ensure that the worker had been properly trained in this activity, and that any verbal instructions needed to be reviewed and proceduralized. The following are some corrective actions that have been implemented as a result of this event.

•          Facility management reviewed this incident with personnel in the departments and groups involved with cyclotron operations to emphasize the necessity of proceduralized work planning before carrying out any verbal procedures, as well as the need to review procedures associated with legacy facilities.

•          Chemistry Department personnel received a memo emphasizing the necessity of reviewing work practices associated with legacy equipment to ensure worker safety, and that work cannot be carried out without proper work planning.

•          Maintenance personnel replaced the glass that was missing from the view port on the rectifier cabinet before the circuit was re-energized.

This occurrence illustrates the inadequacy of verbal procedures, particularly those involving infrequently used equipment.  Procedures need to be formally documented to ensure that work can be performed safely. Management needs to emphasize to workers that work cannot be carried out without formal authorization, appropriate procedures, and task-specific controls in place.  In addition, management needs to ensure that legacy equipment is inspected before it is used, and, wherever appropriate, brought up to current codes. See Photos at http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oeaf/

 

Electrician Shocked after REPAIRING WELDING RECEPTACLE

On December 10, 2001, in Building 98 at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, a journeyman electrician received an electrical shock while connecting the ground lead from a welding machine to a worktable.  He had twice repaired a receptacle that supplied electricity for welding and he was testing a welding machine after the second repair.  Immediately after the shock, the electrician was examined at the laboratory’s clinic and later by an outside physician.  He was given a prescription pain reliever.  He suffered no permanent physiological injury; however, because of his injury, he was placed on medical work restriction for 19 days.  (ORPS Report ORO–SURA-TJNAF-2001-0005, Final Report 2/6/02). During the morning of December 10, 2001, a loud bang was heard from a 480-volt disconnect box in Building 98 (see Figure 1).  At the same time, a feeder panel breaker tripped, causing a loss of electrical power.  A journeyman electrician locked out the box and checked the circuit.  He found that a wire in the welding receptacle attached to the disconnect box had chafed and shorted out.  The electrician replaced this single wire, along with a fuse in the disconnect box.  A laboratory electrical coordinator reset the feeder panel supplying power to the building, and two other electricians checked the building’s 480-volt circuit.  They found no problems. When the welding activity resumed an hour and a half later, the disconnect box produced another loud bang, and power was lost.  The electrician again locked out and checked the box and welding receptacle.  This time, he found that the ground wire in the receptacle had melted and damaged another wire it touched.  He replaced the two wires (see Figure 2).  When his supervisor questioned him about his first repair, the electrician stated that he may have overlooked other wires in the receptacle that may also have been chafed.  Suspecting that the first welding machine might be faulty, the supervisor replaced it with a second machine of different manufacture, which seemed to operate correctly. In the afternoon, after the first welding machine was checked for obvious problems such as burnt wires and circuit boards, the electrician plugged it back into the welding receptacle with its power switch turned off.  As he was connecting its spring-loaded ground lead to a worktable, the electrician received a shock.  His coworkers took him for medical attention. The electrician’s supervisor instructed other employees to lock out and check the disconnect box and welding receptacle.  They found no problems, and so the supervisor again suspected that the first welding machine was faulty.  He had the second welding machine reconnected and tested, and again it appeared to work properly.  However, as a welder was moving the second machine at the end of his shift, he noticed an electrical arc between the foot pedal’s metal housing and a metal table leg as he pulled the machine’s cable across the floor.  The supervisor and facility manager believed that the 480-volt distribution system might have become damaged, and ordered that all welding receptacles be tagged out. The next day, the plant engineering staff and electricians checked the 480-volt distribution system for grounding and other problems, but could not immediately find any.  Finally, the plant engineering staff found that the welding receptacle’s green ground wire was not in the green-ringed ground pin as would be appropriate (see Figure 2 for correct wiring configuration).  The staff concluded that the electrician must have switched the ground wire with a hot phase wire during his second repair of the receptacle.  Although he made some voltage verification checks, he obviously failed to make all the required checks. The Laboratory Director ordered a laboratory-wide stand-down of all welding activities on December 14, 2001, in response to this occurrence and other recent events involving improper bonding and grounding of welding machines.  Corrective actions included:

·         performing testing and certification of all welding receptacles

·         conducting briefings for welders and electrical safety personnel

·         performing annual inspections of welding machines

·         adopting new procedure requirements for grounding in welding areas

·         partnering the journeyman electrician with senior electricians while performing electrical activities

A search of the ORPS database found two other recent discoveries of incorrectly wired electrical receptacles.  On January 27, 2002, computer workers found a 208-volt receptacle incorrectly wired in Building 201 of Argonne National Laboratory – East.  (ORPS Report CH-AA-ANLE-ANLEPFS-2002-0001)  On December 13, 2000, electricians found that a 120-volt outlet on a rental manlift was incorrectly wired at Hanford’s Waste Receiving and Processing Facility.  (ORPS Report RL–PHMC-WRAP-2000-0005)  No one was shocked in these occurrences, but the contractors felt they were a near miss or potential concern. The causal analysis for the occurrence at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility cited the electrician’s lack of electrical safety awareness and inattention to detail as the root causes.  Had the electrician adequately verified his work, he would have found the receptacle’s incorrect wiring.  This occurrence also illustrates that troubleshooting electrical circuit problems can be complex and difficult.  Unsolved troubleshooting and false conclusions can lead to injury. See photos at http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oeaf/