Electrical Accidents #8
This page was last updated on 05/06/2010
OIL FIELD WORKER KILLED IN ELECTRICAL ACCIDENT
STAFF August 21, 2003
KILGORE – An industrial accident claimed the life of a 22-year-old man Wednesday when a power line came in contact with a piece of oil field equipment on which he was working. Rusk County Sheriff Department officials said Juan Martin Jimenez was killed when the oil derrick he was working on raised up and touched an overhead electrical power line. Jimenez was working for Signal Well Service Inc., on a oil lease property off Farm-to-Market Road 2012 a few miles south of Kilgore. RCSD officials said Jimenez was transported to Laird Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead by B.H. Jameson, Gregg County justice of peace. James Dacus, Signal Well Service general manager, said Jimenez was an employee of the company for a year and a half. “We are just crushed by this. He was a excellent employee and a great person. It is hard, but we went to work today to deal with it the way we know how,” he said. Dacus said Jimenez’s funeral expenses and the cost for transportation of his body to Mexico would be paid for by the company. “We talk about safety everyday and sometimes you get complacent. This was no one person’s fault, but an unfortunate accident we wish we could undo,” he said. Jimenez is survived by his parents and family in Mexico and several cousins in the Kilgore area.
Electric shock injures air station civilian
Published “Saturday By CHRIS BENDER Gazette staff writer
The second serious electrical accident in a week at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort left a civilian contractor badly burned and in critical condition Thursday morning. Julio Martinez, 47, of Beaufort suffered burns to his hands and body while working on the air station’s 2,400-volt runway lighting circuit. His co-workers had to perform CPR to keep him alive, said Arlene Mellinger, communications manager for Johnson Controls, the company Martinez worked for. Just one week before, Cpl. Erik S. Hultgren died from electrocution while testing a 1,000-watt floodlight set on a generator. A memorial service was held Wednesday at the base. Two of Martinez’s co-workers nearby revived Martinez, a former Marine. He was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital then moved to Doctor’s Hospital Burn Center in Augusta, Ga., one of the region’s top burn centers. Mellinger said his vital signs were good and he was in critical but stable condition. Officials aren’t sure what caused the shock, said air station spokesman Master Sgt. erence Peck, but the accident is being investigated. The incident occurred at about 8:15 a.m., he said, while Martinez, an electrician, was working on a part of the runway near U.S. 21. “The other employees didn’t actually see it happen,” Mellinger said. “(Martinez) is the only one who actually knows and we haven’t been able to talk to him yet.” The employees who revived Martinez had recently undergone CPR training, Mellinger said. “We always make sure our employees have the proper safety training É and (CPR) is part of it,” Mellinger said. “His co-workers probably saved his life.” Mellinger said Martinez’s condition was being monitored. Johnson Controls has contracted with the air station for the past five months, working on operations and maintenance, Mellinger said. Part of the contract includes working on the electricity and heating plant. Peck said there are 500 civilian employees on the base. Johnson Controls has 47 employees on the base, Mellinger said.
Men Die Trying To Rescue Coworker; Crane Came In Contact With Wire
A man was electrocuted and two co-workers died trying to save him Thursday when a crane struck an overhead power line at a concrete plant and exploded. As electricity coursed through the rig, two men rushed to assist its driver, who had been hurled from his cab. One began administering CPR, but the rescue attempt went horribly awry when the second worker touched the still electrified crane, sending a deadly jolt through all three men, authorities said. “He put his hand on his shoulder, and he steadied himself on the crane, and that’s when they all got it,” said Telford Borough Police Chief Douglas Bickel. Other rescuers, terrified that they too would be shocked and killed, then had to stand by until the live wire was shut off by a utility, said George Strickland, general manager of the JDM Materials plant in suburban Philadelphia where the accident took place. Late Thursday afternoon two of the victims were identified. The crane operator was Robert Forepaugh (pictured, left side of picture), 68, the owner of the demolition company that was subcontracted by JDM Materials. One of the other workers killed was Forepaugh’s nephew, George Frederick (pictured, right side of picture), 41. “It seemed like an eternity. I don’t know how long it actually took,” Strickland said. The 9:15 a.m. accident left the crane a smoking ruin. Hours after the disaster, a 7,200 volt electrical line remained draped over its boom. Strickland said the three worked for a Bensalem company that had been hired to demolish an old structure at the plant. Witnesses said the crane was backing up when it ran into the wires, Strickland said. Homes across from the construction site were evacuated so people would not enter the area around the electrocution because electricity goes into the ground. About 600 people were without power for about an hour. Power continues to be off at the plant, but is expected to be back Friday.
Man hurt in electrical mishap
By JOANN LIVINGSTON Daily Light Managing Editor
Waxahachie fire personnel responded to the scene of an electrocution at St. Gobain Containers late Tuesday morning. The call came in at 10:01 a.m., with engine No. 1 arriving at the scene in the 2400 block of N. Interstate 35 with East Texas EMS at 10:09, according to the reports. The nature of the call was to assist East Texas with a possible electrocution,” Assistant Fire Chief Randall Potter said. The affected individual was working with an outside contractor; information was unavailable on the nature of that work. “They were at the rear of the building up in a tower-type structure,” Potter said. “A workman – I don’t know how – touched or got into 440 volt electricity, and it electrocuted him.” Firefighters had to climb up into the tower through pipes to reach the man. “He was somewhat responsive and could answer a few questions,” Potter said. “Our units packaged him, placed him on a backboard and secured him and brought him down to where East Texas was up in the tower, waiting to give treatment.” The department’s ladder truck and rope gear were called out as firefighters assessed how to complete the removal of the man from the structure. Those were cancelled en route, however, when other workmen on the scene were able to get an elevator in the tower working again. The man was transported to Baylor Medical Center in Waxahachie by East Texas, with the fire department clearing at 10:28 a.m., according to the reports. The man’s name, age and residence were unavailable; he was employed by D G & G Electric out of Midlothian. A spokesman for St. Gobain said the worker was treated and released after about four hours at the hospital. The incident is under investigation, she said.
Lehighton men electrocuted while drilling well
The Associated Press 8/17/2003, 2:59 p.m. ET
ALBRIGHTSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — A well-drilling rig hit a high-voltage power line at a construction site, killing a father and son, authorities said. Martin Schafer, 49, and his 24-year-old son, Benjamin, died in the Friday evening accident at the Mount Pocahontas housing development, according to the Carbon County coroner’s office. Their rig tilted on soft ground, causing it to hit the power line, police said. Colleagues said the hardworking pair were trying to finish a job after working all day. Last year, another man was electrocuted in Carbon County when he tried to pull his dog away from a power line that fell to the ground in Hickory Run State Park.
We Energies employee electrocuted
By Last Updated: Aug. 14, 2003
A We Energies employee was electrocuted Thursday while installing a utility pole in Franklin, authorities said. The accident was reported shortly after 2 p.m. in the 9400 block of W. Oakwood Road, a statement from the Franklin Police Department said, after the victim, a 38-year-old man from Muskego, and two other workers had just set the pole into the ground. As the crew was lowering the boom on a utility truck, the boom touched a live wire, causing electrical current to run through the boom, the truck and a piece of equipment that was connected to the truck and which the victim was holding, the statement said. Police did not release the man’s name. We Energies spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said late Thursday she had no information on the accident, which is under investigation by the utility, the Franklin Police Department, the Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. “This is a very tragic situation for the employee and the employee’s family, and we extend our deepest sympathy,” McCarthy said.
UPDATE AGL fined $100,000 over electrocution
Energy retailer AGL Electricity was fined $100,000 for safety breaches which led to the electrocution of a 36-year-old Melbourne carpenter. Paul Psaila received a fatal electric shock when he touched a piece of metal carrying a 240-volt current from a live electricity cable attached to the garage roof of a suburban Rosanna home unit on February 9, 1999. But outside the court, the victim’s widow, mother of three daughters Marie Psaila, said she thought the punishment “grossly inadequate, given that what happened cost my darling Paul his life”. But she said even if the firm had been fined the maximum of $250,000, it still would not be enough. “There is no adequate (monetary) penalty for a company like AGL — the true punishment is in the conviction.” She said her youngest daughter, the then four-year-old Madeleine, who witnessed the accident needed psychotherapy treatment for two years and suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. Judge Michael Strong in the Victorian County Court said work on installing the cable had been carried out by two qualified and experienced linesmen seven weeks before Mr Psaila died. “On this occasion the job was done incompetently,” the judge said. Insulation on the cable became damaged and a metal bracket “charged with electricity became a death trap”. Mr Psaila died when he touched the bracket. The judge said the two linesmen, who were not charged with any offence, were men of experience and their work involved, or should have involved, checking the connection. There was a need for electricity suppliers to realise that linesmen, however competent and experienced, will occasionally make mistakes with potentially lethal consequences, Justice Strong said. It was clear that what was lacking was an independent system of inspection, the judge said. “The court must respond to the jury’s verdict by sending a clear message to this industry that more rigorous scrutiny is required of work by linesmen,” he said. AGL was last week convicted by a jury of failing to ensure that people other than its employees were not exposed to health and safety risks. The maximum fine for the offence is $250,000. The judge said it would be wrong to impose the maximum sentence because the breaches were not “blatant”. After the sentencing, WorkSafe Victoria executive director John Merritt said: “This case supports WorkSafe’s proposition that it is practicable to have a system for auditing and inspecting the installation of power cables and that doing these things can save lives.” “Our concern is that this is a real public safety issue. In this case, the actions of AGL Electricity put others at risk and resulted in a man dying.” A spokeswoman for AGL said the company had no comment to make on the sentencing remarks made by the judge.
Ivy Tech Construction Worker Injured
Web Producer: Kerry Corum
A construction worker was hurt after cutting through a live electrical wire at Evansville’s Ivy Tech State college. The unidentified worker was taken to the hospital for observation. He works for a Michigan company, and company officials say the injuries are not life threatening. Authorities were told, the man was cutting through wiring in the ceiling of a building that’s being rennovated, when the accident occured.
UPDATE Pearland worker killed while atop power lines
By: PATRICK REYNOLDS, Journal Staff August 13, 2003
An investigation continues this week into a power-line accident that took the life of a Pearland man a week ago in Webster. Nicholas Garland, 22, a North Houston Pole Co. employee, was performing routine maintenance on a high voltage line near NASA Road 1 and Sarah Deel about 9:30 a.m., Aug. 6, when he was shocked with about 130,000 volts of electricity, Webster fire officials said. The electric charge knocked Garland unconscious. Fire officials said the accident occurred about 75 feet in the air. His co-workers tried to help him until firefighters arrived. “The crew from the North Houston Pole Line Company did CPR up in the air on the high wire for approximately 20 minutes before he was brought down by a bucket truck,” said Lt. Eddie Havlice with the Webster Fire Department. He was then transported by Life Flight helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials said they are not sure why Garland was electrocuted and are conducting an investigation into the incident. “The line was supposed to be dead and apparently it was not,” Havlice said. WFD requested assistance from the Houston and Forest Bend fire departments when bringing him down from the power pole. Garland is survived by his mother Aida Garland; father Joe Garland, wife Geri; brothers, Nathan Garland and wife Michelle, Joe Garland III and wife Samantha; and nieces and nephews. Visitation was held Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 at Corl’s Family Funeral Home, 2422 Broadway in Pearland. Funeral services took place Saturday at 10 a.m. in the funeral home chapel.
UPDATE State agency finds electrocution, fire could have been prevented
August 11, 2003
An electrocution that killed a man working at a western Pennsylvania mine and a fire that burned and smoldered for several weeks inside another mine could have been prevented, the state Department of Environmental Protection said in final reports released Monday. Christopher St. Clair, 41, of Lisbon, Ohio, was electrocuted June 13 while changing fuses at Mountain Spring Coal Co.’s Mine No. 1 in Shippingport, about 35 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, state police said. Investigators found that the coal company had modified the mine’s power substation without the state agency’s approval, causing an unsafe working environment, the report said. Also, the investigation found that mine electrician Numan Lambert and mine foreman and superintendent David Chambers allowed St. Clair to work in an unsafe situation, according to the report. The agency ruled that Lambert and Chas cannot hold their positions in the state for at least a year, when they can reapply. Chambers said his attorney advised him to not comment on the report. Mine officials and all employees, including Lambert, were advised to not comment, he said. A second DEP investigation found that frictional heat generated by an improperly maintained coal belt likely started a fire that was discovered Jan. 6 in the Consol Energy’s Mine 84, about 25 miles south of Pittsburgh, the agency said. The fire, which burned for about a week and smoldered into February, started in a tunnel used to move miners and machinery along a two-mile block of coal. More than 80 miners were alerted to the fire by carbon monoxide sensors and escaped without injury. Mine officials should have detected that the belt was faulty, the report said. The agency asked Consol to improve its firefighting and inspection techniques before it could reopen the mine. Joe Cerenzia, a spokesman for Consol, said the company disputed the report but declined further comment, citing a possible appeal.
Man in critical condition after rescue from electrical tower
Updated: 8/6/2003 9:57:43 AM By: News 24 Houston web staff
A contract worker in Webster is in critical condition today after being shocked by a power line he was working on. The man, who is an apprentice with the North Houston Pole Company, was performing general maintenance on a power line on NASA Rd. 1. The line was supposed to be dead, but turned out to be a hot power line, officials said. “This morning at approximately 9:30, we responded to an electrical shock. An apprentice from the North Houston Pole Company was working on a high line. The line was supposed to be dead and grounded — apparently it was not. The apprentice touched the tower and the wire and was shocked,” said Lt. Eddie Havlice with the Webster Fire Department. “We don’t know how much he was shocked with. The line carries approximately 138,000 volts. The crew from the North Houston Pole Company did CPR up in the air, on the high wire, for approximately 20 minutes before he was brought down by a bucket truck. The fire department continued CPR and loaded him into life flight helicopter and was transported to [Memorial] Hermann Hospital in critical condition.” The victim’s name has not yet been released.
Worker electrocuted while renovating Casselberry movie theater
CASSELBERRY, Fla. A construction worker helping renovate a movie theater was electrocuted Tuesday.
The worker was rushed to Florida Hospital in Altamonte Springs shortly after the 1 p.m. accident, said Lt. Dennis Stewart, a Casselberry Police Department spokesman. The worker’s name was not released. Moments after the accident, a co-worker rushed next door to the Seminole County sheriff’s district 5 office looking for help, said Steve Olson, a sheriff’s office spokesman. A sheriff’s investigator and a sergeant responded, Olson said. “They didn’t do CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) because he was breathing and had a pulse,” Olson said. “They were trying to talk to him, but he wasn’t responding.” Casselberry police and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the incident, Stewart said.
2 workers hurt in electrical accident in Coventry
08/04/2003 Journal and projo.com staff Posted 11:56 a.m.
COVENTRY — Two men were injured this morning while working on high-voltage electric lines, officials said. The men were upgrading electric service on Hopkins Hill Road for an Amgen plant under construction. They were moving 7,200-volt electric lines onto new utility poles. They work for Hawkeye Construction of Patchogue, N.Y., which was hired as a subcontractor by Narragansett Electric. They had been working in the area for about six months. Today was supposed to be their last day on the job. Details of the 9:35 a.m. accident are unclear, but one of the men apparently suffered first- and second-degree burns on his face, neck and arms, the Coventry police said. He was taken by ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. Another worker was taken to Kent County Hospital in Warwick. He apparently was not burned but was shaken up by the accident, which apparently involved a flash of fire. Their names were not available. It is the second serious accident involving high-voltage power lines in less than a week. On Tuesday in West Warwick, two workers were killed and a third was injured when aluminum scaffolding they were carrying came into contact with a 7,200-volt power line. Electric customers in the area today lost power for about a half hour. The accident is being investigated by the Coventry Police Department, the Hopkins Hill Fire District, OSHA and Narragansett Electric. — With reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims
Worker Apparently Electrocuted Near Power Pole; Helicopter Transports Victim To ORMC
A man was rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center Monday after being electrocuted while working near a power pole. The patient was flown to the hospital with burns over nearly half of his body, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported. He was working on a roof at Russell Aluminum in Sanford Monday morning. Fellow workers said he was found hanging from the pole, which was the apparent source of the shock. The man was reportedly alert when rescued.
Fertilizer factory supervisor electrocuted
by Sandasen Marasinghe
A 23-year-old bachelor was electrocuted while working at a Fertilizer factory in Sedawatta. He was pronounced dead at the Colombo National Hospital last week. The victim was employed as a supervisor in the Fertilizer factory. The fertilizer was produced with recycled garbage .The victim worked under an aluminium fittings contractor and had been to the factory to construct some cubicles there. He had taken a long aluminium bar to the upper storey of the factory where it had accidentally touched a loose power line. The victim had screamed and fallen unconscious on the stairs . The others who rushed to the scene had taken him to hospital. But their attempts to revive him proved futile . This was revealed at the inquest held into the death of R. B. Arunashantha (23) of Pelatiyawa, Polonnaruwa before the Additional City Coroner M. Ashroff Rumy. H. B. Samantha Kumara (19) of Polonnaruwa said in evidence that the deceased was his supervisor and while he was working downstairs the supervisor went upstairs with an aluinium bar in hand. Soon after he (witness) heard Arunashantha screaming and found him lying on the stairs unconscious. A. M. Premaratne (28) of Wattala, an uncle of the victim also gave evidence. The Additional City Coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death due to electrocution. Evidence was led by Grandpass Police.
2 workers die after scaffolding hits electrical wire
07/29/2003 By MEAGHAN WIMS Journal staff writer Updated 12:35 p.m.
WEST WARWICK — Two construction workers were killed and a third was severely burned this morning when the metal scaffolding they were carrying came into contact with a 7,200-volt electrical wire, the police said. The men were working at a three-story house on Pleasant Street when the accident occurred at about 9 a.m. Jared Gendron, 18, from the Scituate village of Hope, and Thomas Walker, 24, of Coventry were electrocuted, an official at Kent County Hospital said. The third man was in good condition at the hospital. The men were moving the scaffolding when they apparently lost control of it, police said. It touched the bare, copper wire, which is about 30 feet off the ground and runs parallel to the house. “We are not putting blame on anyone,” said police Lt. Albert A. Giusti Jr. “They were hired to do a job, and, unfortunately, this accident occurred.” The men had a permit to do roofing and siding work on the three-family home at 22-26 Pleasant St. They had been working at the house for the past several weeks, according to neighbors. — With reports from the Associated Press.
UPDATE UI Employee Dies After Electrical Arcing; Shelton Man Dies At Bridgeport Hospital
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — One of three United Illuminating Co. employees injured in an electrical accident earlier this month has died. David Bagdasarian, 49, of Shelton, died at Bridgeport Hospital Thursday. Bagdasarian had been burned after he and two other UI employees surveyed electrical equipment in an outdoor cage in a parking lot at Sikorsky Aircraft’s factory on Main Street in Stratford. The three men were surveying the equipment in preparation for work they were to do that weekend when an electrical arcing occurred. Bagdasarian, who was a power deliver cable splicer, is the 10th UI worker to die from an on-the-job injury since 1966, said Kevin Moore, a spokesman for the New Haven-based utility. Two other UI employees also were injured in the explosion July 10. Neither hospital emergency nor UI officials have identified the men or commented on the extent of their injuries.
Marysville man electrocuted on the job identified
LAKE STEVENS — The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office has released the name of a man who died after being electrocuted at a work site Tuesday afternoon. William Ross, 51, was using a cable to guide a piece of steel to the ground at Concrete Nor’West in the 15400 block of 84th Street NE. The crane lifting the steel hit a high-voltage power line, according to Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen. The Marysville man was taken to Providence Everett Medical Center, where he died a short time later. The medical examiner’s office ruled the death an accident. The state Department of Labor and Industries will conduct a standard investigation to determine if the company failed to protect the worker’s safety, said department spokeswoman Elaine Fischer. That investigation likely will take two to three months, she said.
Contractor electrocuted on top of light tower
The Associated Press 7/24/2003, 2:37 p.m. ET
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A contractor who was replacing lights on top of a 90-foot baseball stadium light tower died of electrocution, authorities determined Thursday. John H. Lill, 72, died Wednesday at the historic Point Stadium in Johnstown, said Jim Zangaglia, Cambria County chief deputy coroner. The light standard carried 4,100 volts of electricity. “I don’t know how much went through him but there’s that much juice that lights up that tower,” Zangaglia said. Lill, retired city electrician, was replacing lights in preparation for a baseball tournament at the ballpark when he stopped responding to radio contact, Johnstown Recreation Director Cliff Kitner said. Firefighters climbed the steel tower and found Lill unconscious. He was pronounced dead less than an hour later. Because Lill worked for himself, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration won’t be participating in the investigation, Zangaglia said. Information from: The Tribune-Democrat
Miner killed in Raleigh County; sixth state fatality of year
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A damaged electrical cable was responsible for the death of a Massey Energy Co. miner in Raleigh County, federal officials say. Rodney A. Scurlock was electrocuted in Massey subsidiary Performance Coal Co.’s Upper Big Branch Mine-South near Naoma, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday. Scurlock, 27, is the sixth West Virginia coal miner to die on the job this year, matching the state’s total for all of 2002. Scurlock’s hometown was not immediately available. Scurlock, an electrician, was found on his back Saturday near where he was repairing or making a splice in a shuttle car cable, MSHA said. Five other cables and the water line for a continuous mining machine were found on the mine floor, in mud and water, and in contact with another cable. One of those cables contained two damaged places, MSHA said.
Five electrocuted in crane accident
From correspondents in Beijing 24jul03
FIVE workers died when they were electrocuted as the arm of their mechanical crane grazed high-tension wires in Shijiazhuang in northern China, state media reported today. The accident occurred yesterday as the workers were moving the crane across a construction site at a cement factory. Five of the workers were electrocuted and the driver was ejected from the seat of the vehicle. He was taken to hospital where he remains with serious burns. Police sources cited by Xinhua said the cause of the accident is under investigation.
Explosion, fire injure worker at Circuit City
By Lisa Arsenault seacoastonline.com
PORTSMOUTH – A 49-year-old electrical contractor working on the main electrical system at Circuit City on Woodbury Avenue suffered second-degree burns Tuesday after an explosion sparked two fires at the store. “There was a fire in the electrical panel area of the building in the rear,” said Portsmouth Deputy Fire Chief Steven Achilles. “Because of the surge in the system, it had caused a transformer to catch on fire and fail outside the building.” Portsmouth police and Fire Department officials refused to release the man’s name. The Portsmouth Fire Department and the state fire marshal are investigating the exact cause of the accident. The city’s electrical inspector and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration have been notified of the incident. The 49-year-old man, from Salem, was treated on the scene by paramedics and taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital. In stable condition, he was later transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was treated for burns on his chest, neck and arms, according to Achilles. The man was working for TCI Electric Inc. An individual answering the telephone at TCI Electric Inc. declined to comment on the incident or identify the worker. Northeast Circuit City display technician Derek Bonzagni, 23, was the first to find the injured electrician. Bonzagni said the man was working on a circuit breaker in the electrical room to fix “lighting issues” at the store. He saw the lights flicker on and off and heard the buzzing of the current after the transformer exploded, he said. “I’ve done electrical [work],” said Bonzagni. “I knew what happened. I opened up the warehouse and saw the guy laying there all burnt. “I told the man, ‘I’ll call the ambulance and we’ll meet him up front.’ I don’t know if he understood me or not.” Bonzagni said the man was sitting up in a chair at that point. “I’m still shaking from it,” he said. Circuit City representative Cathy Hess couldn’t say for sure what the electrical problems were that the man was there to fix. The store was evacuated immediately and remained closed for the rest of the day. Hess also couldn’t say when the store will reopen. According to Achilles, there was extensive smoke damage throughout the building.
Worker injured in sugar factory blast
July 21, 2003 11:56
A MAN has been taken to hospital with serious injuries today after an explosion at the sugar beet factory at Cantley. Edmund Osborne, 53, received head injuries in the sugar dust explosion which triggered a blaze at the plant which, at its height, was tackled by about 50 firefighters. Mr Osborne, from Lowestoft, who works for east coast electrical contractor firm LEC Marine, was carrying out work in an electricity substation at the site when the blast occurred. It is thought that the explosion blew apart a wall and that Mr Osborne was struck by falling debris. He was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital but his injuries are not thought to be life threatening. Initial reports to police suggested that more people were missing in the blast, but everyone was eventually accounted for. Two other contractors from the same firm were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, but did not require hospital treatment. The explosion caused a fire to spread to a conveyor belt on the second floor of the plant in an area close to the silos before moving into the roof area. The explosion also caused damage to a nearby electricity substation. The plant has its own fire crew and they tackled the blaze before reinforcements from Norfolk Fire Service arrived. Station Officer Graham Joy, from Norfolk Fire Service, who attended the scene, said: “It would appear there was a dust explosion, which subsequently caused a fire. “It was a fairly major fire, but we have brought it under control. Fire crews are now damping down, making the building safe. “The fire was confined to some cladding in the roof area. The explosion was fairly large. It seems to have been somewhere within the building but has caused some damage to a substation where it seems to have vented itself out.” A spokesman for British Sugar said Mr Osborne’s family had been notified. “At this stage there has been an incident at the site that has resulted in a fire and one person being injured. “Everyone else has been accounted for,” he added. Delivery driver Stephen Brown, of Freethorpe, was at the scene when the explosion happened. He was working for TR Transport to deliver sugar to Felixstowe for export. He said: “There was a big bang and I saw flames lapping up the side of the building. “If the fire had taken hold it could have been a big deal.” PC Geoff Marshall, of Acle police station, said: “There was an explosion in an area close to the silos which resulted in a fire. “The explosion blew out a wall and falling bricks injured a contractor who was standing nearby. “An investigation has been launched. I suspect it will be several days before they right was has happened.” Train operators on the nearby line were also informed of the explosion to make sure emergency crews had access over a rail crossing. The Health and Safety Executive has been informed and are to carry out an investigation. The police and fire services are also to carry out separate investigations. The factory does not start processing sugar beet until the autumn. During the summer months it undergoes maintenance work.
Shock sends worker to hospital
By Doug Murphy Staff Writer
A workman was shocked and slightly injured while wiring lights at Desert Vista High School around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. Fred Van Aller was working with fluorescent light wiring in the physical education building when he was shocked and fell off a ladder, according to co-worker Dwight Price. Both work for KSK Electric, based in Tempe. Van Aller received a burn to his hand and was shaken up in the fall, “but he’s talking and breathing and everything,” Price said. Phoenix paramedics transported Van Aller to Chandler Regional Hospital for treatment.
Belco worker burned in explosion; 24-year-old likely to be flown off the Island
By Karen Smith
A 24-year-old Belco worker is to be flown off the Island for treatment after suffering severe burns in an industrial accident this morning. The technician was part of a crew carrying out routine maintenance at the Railway Trail sub-station in Southampton when an explosion ripped through equipment shortly after 9 a.m. The worker, who has not been named, is thought to have been thrown backwards by the force of the blast and suffered a lacerations to his head and severe burns to his face, neck, arms and legs. His colleagues at the scene were said to be in shock. The worker was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for assessment but was likely to be flown to Boston this afternoon by air ambulance. As a result of the incident, substantial number of homes in Southampton may be without power for up to 12 hours this afternoon. A Railway Trail resident, who asked not to be named, said: “I was at home and I heard this big bang. I came running out to see what had happened. He was lying there on his back , very bady burned. He was conscious but he was in shock and he was shaking.” Belco spokeswoman Linda Smith said the company CEO Gary Madeiros and other senior officials immediately went to the hospital to meet the worker and his family. She said an investigation is underway into the incident and Belco crews would be working in Southampton for the remainder of the day to restore power. “The guys were working on a cable test and had come out just this morning when it happened,” she said. “He has severe burns and has been assessed in Bermuda but is likely to be flown out today.” Bermuda Fire Service staff officer Lt. Dana Lovell said there was now a joint investigation between Belco and Fire officers. “We understand that it was a very large electrical spark that caused the burns. He did not get electrocuted. “It is a bit early to speculate. We do not have all the facts at the moment but in due course we will know everything.”
Chesapeake Police Believe Norfolk Repairman Electrocuted to Death
Chesapeake police believe a Norfolk repairman was electrocuted to death Wednesday afternoon while repairing a retail store’s air conditioning system. Around 5:00pm, emergency personnel responded to the Ames Department Store in the 1900 block of South Military Highway after store personnel lost contact with 38-year old Eric Bean. Bean, of the 2900 block of Murry Court in Norfolk, was on the roof of the Ames store repairing the air conditioning. Rescuers found Bean’s body in the store’s duct work. While police believe Bean was electrocuted, his body was sent to the Medical Examiner’s office to determine the exact cause of death. Bean worked for Technical Services of Chesapeake.
Avella steelworker injured in W.Va. accident
A steelworker from Avella was injured Wednesday when he came into contact with a high-voltage line while working at the Weirton Steel Corp. plant in Weirton, W.Va. The man is in his early 40s. His name was not released by the company. He was taken by the plant’s emergency squad to Weirton Medical Center and then flown to Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh, said company spokesman Greg Warren. He suffered burns, although Warren could not give his condition. The accident occurred at 10:15 a.m. when the worker was on a ladder in the sheet mill. He came into contact with a 23,000-volt line and fell about 8 feet. Warren said the man was conscious and the plant emergency squad arrived within one minute. The company doctor was on the scene within four minutes. The accident is under investigation by the corporate safety department. Warren said the company was not required to report the accident to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.