Electrical Contractor Shocked (an electrical contractor suffered a shock and reportedly caught fire -vworker apparently touched a high-voltage line, but there's no information about just how powerful the shock was - investigators are on the scene)
Gilmer schools close after worker dies(the sole maintenance man, 47, for the County Schools died while working on a broken heating and air conditioning unit - he was likely was electrocuted sometime in the afternoon)
City water worker electrocuted in bucket (a man installing new city water wells was electrocuted by a power line - the victim died at the scene, and his name has not been released - the man was in a bucket lift when he apparently touched high-voltage electrical lines)
Power-line accident kills man in St. Joseph (one construction worker was killed and another was seriously injured after metal poles they were moving at a house touched a low-hanging power line - worker, 20, died in the accident - he was pronounced dead at a hospital - worker, 23, was injured trying to help his co-worker - witnesses said the accident victims were at the side of the home disassembling metal scaffolding - the owners of two construction companies involved were later arrested for operating without a license)
ARC FLASHFires burn sheds in Davenport; area worker suffers flash burns (an electrical contractor suffered burns to his face while working on a transformer - man received some second-degree flash burns when there was an arc in the electric power while he was working on the transformer)
Worker survives 7200-volt shock (a cable worker escaped serious injury after touching a 7,200-volt power line with his head - the 28-year-old worker was pulling cable lines from a bucket truck when his head touched the line - the shock entered his head and went through his right thigh into the bucket - worker stayed conscious and was able to lower the bucket back to the ground)
UPDATE Charges filed against employer of electrocuted worker (worker was killed in November 2002 while installing guard rails - the 23-year-old Mio resident was operating a truck with a pile driver when he died - investigators determined that electricity arced between the boom and an overhead power line at the work site - company is charged with six counts of violating state worker-safety standards - prosecutors say the company was cited for a similar incident involving Green three months before the fatal accident)
UPDATE Quality Belt Maintenance Ltd. Fined $50,000 for Health and Safety Violation (a worker was testing the voltage going into a fuse box in a maintenance building when an electrical flash occurred. The worker suffered burns to the face, neck, hands and forearms. At the time of the incident the worker was troubleshooting an electric "belt roller" (a machine used to wind up spare conveyor belts) which would not start. The worker was injured when a screw holding a wire leading into the fuse box was touched with a testing meter probe)
CL&P worker burned on the job in Granby (a utility worker suffered second and third-degree burns to his fingers while working on overhead wires - the worker was burned when he accidentally came into contact with live wires)
worker killed in power line accident (a construction worker was killed when his concrete pumping truck hit a high-voltage power line - the victim, 30, was preparing to pour cement from the boom truck when the vehicle's boom touched the power line - the truck caught fire - officials don't know if the man died from electrocution or in the resulting fire)
Man electrocuted, falls off building (a 25-year-old wall painter was killed after falling off the fourth floor of a building after being electrocuted - the two were painting a building when he touched a live wire and fell off the fourth floor - he died instantly)
UPDATE Fine Proposed For Pike Electric In Utility Worker's Death (federal officials have proposed $77,000 in fines for a utility in the death of a lineman electrocuted during hurricane repairs - company didn't isolate an electrical source to protect the worker - he died last July 13 after splicing lines together that became energized from a generator)
Electrical accident at West Town sends two Mall employees to ... (a Mall employee is at Vanderbilt Medical Center's burn unit with facial burns after an electrical accident - two workers were tending to an electrical box - they believe something sparked a brief flash fire, causing facial injuries to one worker - the other victim had more minor injuries and was seen talking with medical personnel while being loaded in an ambulance)
CTA Worker Accidentally Electrocuted On 'L' Tracks (a 25-year employee, who had just reported back for work after sick leave, was electrocuted on the Green Line tracks outside of CTA headquarters forcing service to be suspended for about an hour - the 47-year-old administrative employee didn't need to be on the Green Line tracks when the electrocution occurred - the employee's job did not require him to be on the tracks, it was unclear why he was)
Man badly burned in 25,000-volt shock (a rail worker suffered 40% burns after receiving an electric shock from an over-head power line - the 45-year-old man was working on the top of a locomotive when he received a shock of 25,000 volts)
UPDATE Shocked worker suing Nstar for $1M (a 19-year-old laborer badly shocked while cleaning a transformer is suing for more than $1 million - claimed “negligence and carelessness” led to the Oct. 15 incident, which injured two other cleaners less severely - lawyer said the incident occurred when the laborers, who worked for a cleaning firm, attempted to polish a transformer the company allegedly failed to power down)
Worker electrocuted (a contract labourer was electrocuted while working on a transformer - was charred to death after he came in contact with a high power cable - suspect power might have been accidentally switched on)
Fire at Johnson Technology sends burned man to hospital (one man was burned and several others suffered from smoke inhalation when a fire broke out - it appears the fire was caused by an electrical short in a box that was being serviced - the apprentice, who was feeding wire while standing behind a wall when the fire broke out, was not injured)
Fire Forces Evacuation Of Hartford High School (a high school was evacuated after a transformer exploded and then caught fire - three electrical workers were injured in the accident - the crew was doing routine work in the transformer room when the explosion happened)
DEATH SHOCK (the 25-year-old died while servicing one of the lottery machines - is believed to have been electrocuted)
PECO worker electrocuted, dies on job (a line worker died after coming into contact with an energized wire - crews were working on power lines in the area when the incident occurred just before 11 a.m. - the worker, 40, was an 18-year veteran and a first-class lineman, the highest in the field progression - was part of an eight-member team that was working to replace a single span of conductor wire - two other members of the team were working on the wires from buckets while he was working with an unenergized wire on the ground, preparing it to be installed - not quite sure what happened next, other than one of the lines broke in mid-span and fell to the ground and contacted the worker either directly or through the wire he was handling)
Worker electrocuted in waterfront mishap (a co-worker tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation when he discovered the 23-year-old not breathing and without a pulse - the man was welding on a floating dredging barge when the accident happened)
Roofing company worker electrocuted in Pompano Beach (a 29-year-old roofing company worker was electrocuted during an on-the-job accident - was moving a 28-foot long aluminum extension ladder when the ladder came in contact with live power lines)
Coroner: Electrical accident killed man (worker, 40, was electrocuted while renovating a house - accidentally pinched a live wire with a jack while he was working on the home's foundation)
Hydro worker killed on Vancouver Island (worker, 54, died after he came into contact with a Hydro line while carrying out a pole change - worked most of his 33 years with the company - another man in the bucket at the time of the accident received flash burns - he was treated in hospital and released)
Electrical accident kills drilling worker (the boom of a drilling rig struck a power line electrocuting one worker and injuring another - the men, employees of a water well driller were working in a vacant lot where a house is being built - the surge of electricity struck the drilling rig and the two men - it blew out a front tire and ignited a fire that burned in and around the equipment)
UPDATE Employer of electrocuted worker fined, put on probation (a company that installs guard rails was fined $10,000, ordered to pay $32,480 in penalties and placed on two years' probation in the death of a worker who was electrocuted - worker, 23, was operating a truck with a 22-foot-tall pile driver when he was killed - investigators determined that electricity arced between the boom and an overhead power line at the site)
GSA Worker Electrocuted (officers and firefighters found the 46-year-old man unconscious in the basement of a building - investigators believe he was electrocuted)
Exxon Mobil worker electrocuted (an electrician at the refinery remained in critical condition after being electrocuted - an investigation of the cause of the incident has begun)
Man falls onto power line and is electrocuted (a 28-year-old man who was working at a residential construction site was electrocuted when he lost his balance and fell onto a power line - he was on a two-story scaffolding attached to a home when he fell)
Worker may have been electrocuted at plant (it appears the worker, 22, was electrocuted while installing some lighting in one area of the factory, which is scheduled to be open for production this year - investigators said a number of workers in the plant heard a loud crashing sound and found the worker having an apparent seizure on the floor)
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.
College student electrocuted while painting The Associated Press 7/16/03 2:35 PM ONEIDA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- A 21-year-old Michigan State University student has died after he hit his ladder against a primary power line while he was painting a house in Eaton County. Brad Hilberg of Alpena was electrocuted Tuesday when he tried to remove the aluminum ladder from against the house and lower it. The ladder was 25 feet in the air when it struck the 4,800-volt power line about 10:50 a.m., the Eaton County Sheriff's Department told the Lansing State Journal for a Wednesday story. Hilberg was taken to St. Lawrence Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Hilberg, who worked for College Works Painting, was painting the home with another student. His co-worker, who witnessed the incident, was not injured, police said. Thomas Hilberg, Brad's father, said his son painted houses to earn extra money to attend Michigan State, where he was a junior majoring in civil engineering. Brad Hilberg played hockey, football and baseball in high school, and was a big fan of the band Phish, jazz and easy listening usic, Thomas Hilberg said.
Area man electrocuted in accident By Tribune Staff A longtime area businessman died Saturday while trying to repair a pivot irrigation system. Dale G. Freund, 55, of Fremont was pronounced dead at Fremont Area Medical Center. The death was an apparent accidental electrocution, said Dodge County Attorney Paul Vaughan. Freund was on the irrigation system tower working on a control when his son, Travis, saw a bright flash, Vaughan said. A passerby stopped to help. Freund was transported to FAMC by the North Bend rescue squad, Vaughan said. The Dodge County Sheriff's Department received the report at 6:30 p.m. and arrived after Freud had been taken to the hospital. Freund was the owner of Mid-Continent Irrigation Co. in Fremont. He was called to repair a center pivot system in North Bend, approximately one-fourth mile north of County Road R. Freund purchased Mid-Continent Irrigation in 1986, which is a Valley irrigation sales and service company. Prior to that, he had worked for Valmont then for Hammond & Stephens Co. Freund was a 1966 graduate of Fremont High School. The funeral was at 10:30 a.m. today at First Lutheran Church in Fremont.
Man burned as drill hits power vault By STAFF WRITER ALAMEDA -- A subcontractor who accidentally drilled into a power vault at Alameda Point sustained critical third-degree burns Tuesday morning, Alameda officials said. The Stockton man was airlifted to Eden Valley Medical Center in Castro Valley and later transferred to the burn unit at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition Tuesday night, city officials said. "Apparently the burns are really, really bad," said Deputy Fire Chief Steve Jones. The 28-year-old man, whose name wasn't released, was severely burned on both hands, on at least one side of his body, and on one foot. Witnesses started CPR, and an emergency helicopter arrived within five minutes of the accident, Jones said. Charles Sanford, owner of Charles B. Sanford Construction, said his employee accidentally drilled into a 12-kilovolt primary distribution circuit serving the area. He was trenching to install telephone equipment, city officials said. The worker started work with Charles B. Sanford Construction in Winton on Monday, Sanford said. Sanford said he is a friend of his sons. "I believe that unfortunately it was an accident," said Sanford. "He was operating a drill, which doesn't require much safety training." Sanford said the area had been checked by two groups who tested for, but did not locate, the circuit. Matt McCabe, a spokesman for Alameda Power & Telecom, which operates and maintains the electrical system that was drilled into, said the incident occurred 11:30 a.m. on West Ranger Avenue. The distribution circuit was installed initially by the U.S. Navy to serve portions of the former Alameda Naval Air Station. Sanford Construction is a subcontractor to Mobile Modular. The company is retained to install temporary facilities to house a Head Start project being run by the Alameda Point Collaborative. The incident resulted in an electrical outage to approximately 300 customers. Alameda Power & Telecom crews restored power within an hour.
Welder electrocuted at Gainesville construction site GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- A welder was apparently electrocuted while working on a metal balcony at a construction site, authorities said. Javier Gonzales, 37, of Norcross, Ga., died in Sunday's accident, said Sgt. Keith Faulk, an Alachua County Sheriff's Office spokesman. Workers told authorities that Gonzales, an employee of Allen Steel Products of Arlington, Tenn., was installing a metal subfloor on a balcony using an 8,000 watt welding machine. A co-worker said he left Gonzales to retrieve some material and returned to find him unconscious and not breathing. Workers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until emergency medical workers arrived. Although detectives are awaiting the results of an autopsy, authorities believe he was electrocuted by the welding machine, Faulk said. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating, Faulk said. Associated Press
Fire breaks out at energy plant Council Bluffs firefighters were called to an electrical fire at Mid American Energy's Council Bluffs Energy Center late Sunday morning. Fire Inspector Bob Caughey of the Council Bluffs Fire Marshal's Office said the fire occurred in some breaker panels in the plant around 10:20 a.m. "We're still looking at how it got started," Caughey said. "It's under investigation at this time." Nine units responded to the scene. The fire was quickly contained but three crews remained on the scene until 1 p.m. to secure the area and begin the investigation process. No injuries were reported in the fire. Caughey also said power was rediverted so that no outages would occur. The cause of the fire and extent of the damage is still under investigation by the Fire Marshal's Office, the city electrical inspector and Mid American Energy officials.
Three UI workers injured in Sikorsky transformer mishap By SARAH W. WALKER and LUTHER TURMELLE , Special to The Press 07/12/2003 STRATFORD -- An early morning explosion at Sikorsky Aircraft Friday left one United Illuminated Co. worker in critical condition and two others hospitalized, and sent investigators scurrying to discover what caused the accident. UI spokesman Kevin Moore said the three utility workers sustained serious injuries when a lightning arrestor on a transformer caused a flash arc to strike the workers. The incident occurred at about 8:45 a.m. as the workers were assessing tasks that were supposed to be done on the transformer this weekend, he said. A lightning arrestor is a piece of equipment that channels electrical surges into the ground to prevent other equipment, such transformers, from being damaged. The incident occurred in an enclosed, caged-in area at the rear of Sikorsky’s main parking lot on River Road, Moore said. "They were up there checking some transformers (when the incident occurred)," said Stratford Police Capt. Harvey Maxwell. Moore did not comment on the specific nature of the workers’ injuries, but said "we hope for a speedy recovery." The three workers identities were not released Friday, though Moore said their families had been contacted regarding the incident. One was listed in critical condition and the other two were listed in fair condition at Bridgeport Hospital’s Burn Unit, Moore said. "They are experienced UI employees who have each been with us a minimum of 20 years," Moore said, adding that the three are part of the Power Delivery Underground Group. Moore said Sikorsky Aircraft, UI, and the Bridgeport office of Occupational Safety & Health Administration are cooperating to thoroughly investigate what happened so that it does not occur again. Sikorsky Aircraft spokeswoman Sheena Steiner said the explosion did not interrupt any electric flow to the plant or stop work there. Maxwell said his department had limited involvement in the explosion situation and subsequent investigation because it’s a "standard industrial accident." Moore said it was "more than 10 or 15 years ago that something of this magnitude happened." "The workers safety is our number one priority," Moore said, "It’s very important for us to find out what happened." A review of OSHA data on the company on the federal agency’s Internet site found the last time UI was cited for a violation by the agency was in July 1991 and involved problems with accident prevention signs. The violation initially carried a fine of $1,875, but the agency and UI officials reached an informal agreement later that month in which the company agreed to pay $1,200. According to OSHA records, the last time the agency investigated an accident at the company occurred in August 1983. That was one of six accident investigations that OSHA conducted at UI between January 1978 and August 1983.
UPDATE Second ESB worker dies after accident July 11, 2003 The ESB has said the death of a second staff member following the accident at Tarbert Power Station in Co Kerry last week has come as a devastating blow for staff and the company. Michael Healy, 49, from Tieraclea, Tarbert, died yesterday evening at Cork University Hospital, where he was being treated for burn injuries. A married man with four sons, he was an electrical instrumentation supervisor at the power station. The chairman of the ESB, Mr Tadhg O'Donoghue, and the Chief Executive, Padraig MacManus, expressed their profound sympathy to Mr Healy's family and friends.
Man electrocuted at work By Andrea Misko Beacon Journal staff writer I called all the Krivanek's in the Akron/Medina and Cleveland phone books, I got all answering machines and got one answer and the woman said they were family but declined comment, FYI The number at Barberton Steel is 745-6837, 240 E. Huston Street, Barberton. But I haven't been able to get any answer. James Krivanek (who I believe is another owner, is at 440-473-2672, I haven't reached him) Ronald C. Krivanek, co-owner of Barberton Steel & Iron, Inc., was electrocuted Friday after trying to resolve a power issue at the East Huston Street plant. Krivanek, 48, of Coachman Court in Brecksville, was pronounced dead at 11:17 p.m. in the emergency room of Barberton Citizens Hospital, according to the Summit County Medical Examiner's office. The death was ruled accidental. There was no answer at the steel plant on Saturday. A woman at the home of James Krivanek III, Ronald's brother, declined to comment. Barberton police Chief Mike Kallai said workers heard a loud pop and then saw Krivanek lying against the insidef the fence surrounding a power substation on the property. Krivanek was inspecting the substation after workers informed him they weren't getting enough power, said Kallai, who was unable to provide more details. Jill Skapin, spokeswoman for the medical examiner, said it appeared a transformer might have blown. Art Graham, a dispatcher for FirstEnergy, said the company supplies about 12,500 volts of electricity to the substation at Krivanek's company. Kallai said Saturday there wasn't much for the police department to investigate and that he expected FirstEnergy would be assisting the company in determining what went wrong. The accident occurred around 10:40 p.m., Kallai said. In June 1989, Barberton Steel & Iron reported it was investing $600,000 to improve the company's electrical system, increasing its manufacturing capacity by 25 percent. It also planned to spend $220,000 to modernize the system.
News in brief from eastern Pennsylvania SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — The Lackawanna County coroner ruled that the death of a worker electrocuted at a Moosic factory was accidental. William Edwards, 50, of Clarks Summit was a maintenance worker at Compression Polymers Group. Coroner Joseph Brennan said he died Wednesday evening and his body was found early Thursday. Scranton Fire Chief Thomas Davis said a co-worker found Edwards' body in a pool of water, leaning against a large electrical box. "It appears he bumped his head and hit something live," Davis said. Company officials declined to comment.
Blaze breaks out at digger factory Jul 11, 2003, 12:47:00 A paint shop at Staffordshire digger makers JCB was severely damaged today when a blaze broke out in an electrical transformer. Production at the firm's world headquarters, in Rocester, was halted for around two-and-a-half hours after the fire broke at around 8am. All 1,500 employees were evacuated while firefighters from across the county tackled the blaze in the workshop, used to paint hydraulic rams for diggers. Up to 80 firefighters fought the blaze and took around 30 minutes to get it under control. Staff were allowed back into the plant at around 9.30am.
UPDATE Worker electrocuted at ConAgra foods plant in Montgomery The Associated Press 7/10/03 12:04 PM MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- A worker was electrocuted while repairing a refrigerator in an attic crawl space of the ConAgra Foods plant in Montgomery. Police said David Safley, 42, of Montgomery was found by co-workers around 7 p.m. Wednesday. He was revived by paramedics but was pronounced dead at 7:48 p.m. at Baptist Hospital South. ConAgra spokesman Bob McKeon said details of the accident are being investigated by the company. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration also is investigating the workplace death. Safley was working as part of a night maintenance crew when the accident occurred while he worked on a malfunctioning refrigerator. Police said the plant supervisor reported that Safley was in an attic crawl space when the accident occurred. "We are deeply saddened to lose Mr. Safley because he was a valued employee and an important member of the ConAgra Foods team," McKeon said. The death comes slightly more than a year after Elliot Munoz, 21, a contract worker at the ConAgra plant, had his legs severed in a large meat grinder on June 23, 2002.
UEDCL to Probe Deaths July 8, 2003 Kampala THE Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) yesterday set up a committee to probe the circumstances under which one of its workers was electrocuted while fixing a faulty power line, reports Geoffrey Kamali. The deceased, Salim Lubega, was fixing a 33-KV high voltage line in Kajansi, on the Kampala-Entebbe highway, when current was suddenly switched on. It killed him instantly. The incident brings to two the deaths in two months. Another linesman was recently killed while fixing a faulty line near Kalerwe market in Kampala. Another man, Joseph Mbabali alias Makanika, earlier reported dead, is still admitted in the Intensive Care Unit at Rubaga Hospital while a third, whose identity is yet to be established, was discharged. The committee is headed by Robert Mubiru, the Kampala area customer relations manager and comprises other engineers, Mubiru said yesterday. Two workers, based at Najjanankumbi power station, were yesterday questioned by Police in Katwe over the incident. Lubega's relatives picked his body from the city mortuary yesterday and took it to his home in Lyantonde, Rakai district. Mubiru said, "The committee will look at the incident and how the events occurred. We don't even know whether power had been switched off (at the time they climbed the power poles)." "We are not working today. We are going for burial. Meanwhile, someone must explain why power was switched on when it must be off before the linesmen get to work," said John Otto, a UEDCL worker.
Man Electrocuted Trying to Restore Power July 5, 2003 GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP -- A man is dead after a tragic accident on the 4th of July. John Clay worked in construction, his friends say he could fix or build almost anything. So seeing Clay die during a fix-it project was a complete surprise. Storms knocked out power to the area during the holiday, so 58-year-old Clay and his friend, Roger Lucas, had a plan to re-trip the circuit breaker. They used a Hi-lo to work on the breaker box, 30 feet in the air. Clay used a metal rod to knock it into place, the shock shot him all the way to the ground. "He touched the wood and the breaker at the same time," said friend Billy Schneider. "The wood acted as a conductor and it grounded him as he was electrocuted." Schneider attempted CPR, but it was no use. Clay was later pronounced dead on scene by paramedics. Friends say Clay had confidence to do anything. He figured they could fix the problem beforde the power company. "John had displayed to everyone who had known him that he was basically capable of almost anything," said Schneider. Clay was from Switzerland. He had a reunion planned with his family whom he had not seen in decades. They were notified of the news on the fourth.
Man dies in hydro wire accident east of city By BRIAN KELLY, The Sault Star Monday, July 07, 2003 - 09:00 Local News - A Midland, Ont., man is dead after making contact with a live hydro wire early Saturday afternoon near Bruce Mines. John Franklin Stephens, 29, was a member of a K-Line Contracting crew doing planned maintenance work on Cloudslee Road in Plummer Township northeast of the community. The road is about two kilometres from Highway 17. Stephens was working on an overhead distribution line from an elevated bucket when the accident occurred shortly after noon Saturday. “At that particular time they were in the process of reactivating a line and something went wrong,” said Sgt. John Lewis of the East Algoma detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police. Fellow workers applied first aid to Stephens. He was transported to Thessalon Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:24 p.m. No foul play is suspected. A Ministry of Labour investigation continued on Sunday. The Stouffville, Ont.-based contracting company had been subcontracted by Great Lakes Power to work on its overhead distribution lines. “We’ve been striving for a perfect safety record so we’re very upset about this event,” said Kim Osmars, vice-president and general manager of GLP’s transmission and distribution division, on Sunday. “We’re working with the appropriate authorities to review the accident and the causes leading up to the accident.” Osmars, declining to identify the victim or the contracting company, described the firm GLP hired as “excellent” and having a “good reputation” in the industry. “They’ve been working with us for awhile,” he said. While the accident continues to be investigated, Osmars also declined to say how long company employees had been working in the area or how many GLP customers in Bruce Mines were without power until about 11:30 p.m. Power was off for almost 12 hours while the OPP and Ministry of Labour investigated the accident scene. In 2001, in Sault Ste. Marie, Lewis Wheelan sustained major high-voltage electrical burns to 55-to 60 -per-cent of his body when a tree crashed into a power line and injured him. The Sir Jmes Dunn collegiate graduate was a summer worker with Neat Site Vegetation. The company was under contract to GLP to cut trees and clear brush near a hydro distribution line. Wheelan lost his right arm, both legs and the middle finger on his left hand. In March, Neat Site Vegetation owner Michael Piccolo pleaded guilty to two charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. He was fined $15,000. That same month Wheelan accepted a $500,000 lump sum payment from GLP.
Electricity worker dies in Down accident 09/07/2003 - 2:14:49 pm Northern Ireland Electricity has launched an investigation into the death of a contract worker in Co Down today. The man died while working on power lines in the Mill Road area of Annalong. The North's electricity company said it had launched an internal inquiry into the death and vowed to work with police and health and safety officials to determine the details of the incident.
Montgomery Plant Worker Electrocuted Reported by Keysha Perry A man is dead after being electrocuted at the ConAgra Foods Plant in Montgomery. The accident happened just a few minutes after 7:00 Tuesday night. Police investigators say 42 year old David Safley was working at the plant when an industrial accident caused his death. Co-workers noticed something went wrong and called police. Medics tried to revive Safley on the scene but he later died at Baptist Hospital South. OSHA is now investigating to find more answers in the accident.
Worker injured in ESB accident dies in hospital online.ie 04 Jul 2003 A 38-year-old ESB worker has died in hospital from injuries received in an explosion at a power plant in Co Kerry yesterday afternoon. Three workers were injured in the blast in a switch-gear room at Tarbert generating station. Two of them were taken to the burns unit in Cork University Hospital, where one of them, Pat McCroghan, died this morning. The second man remains in a critical condition, while the third casualty is in a stable condition in Tralee General Hospital. The ESB is investigating the cause of the accident and has promised to co-operate fully with the Health and Safety Authority. The company has also expressed its sympathy to Mr McCroghan's family.
House-painter electrocuted in Topsham Michael Reagan Times Record 07/02/2003 TOPSHAM - A 20-year-old Topsham man died Tuesday after the aluminum ladder he and a co-worker were carrying touched a power line next to an Elm Street residence. Andrew McMillan was declared dead Tuesday afternoon at Parkview Adventist Medical Center in Brunswick, said Lt. Chris Lewis of the Topsham Police Department. McMillan was working as a painter with two other employees of College Pro Painters at a home at 16 Elm St. at the time of the accident, which was reported at 2:55 p.m. The other co-worker who was carrying the ladder, Brett Dumont, was taken by ambulance to Maine Medical Center in Portland. Lewis said Dumont was in stable condition. According to Lewis, Dumont and McMillan were moving a 40-foot ladder when it appeared they lost their balance and the ladder came into contact with power lines that run parallel to the side of the residence, Lewis said. The third worker was not injured. Central Maine Power Co. officials said the power line had about 7,200 volts running through it, Lewis said. A team from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration in Portland responded to the accident, said Bill Freeman, area director. Investigations can take one to two weeks. Representatives of Central Maine Power Co. were also called to the scene.
UPDATE Lineman from Connecticut dies in Massachusetts accident (Rehoboth, Mass.-AP, July 2, 2003 2:40 PM) _ Officials in Massachusetts say an electrical lineman from Connecticut has died from a power line accident. Forty-four-year-old Walter Shaw had been as injured after his crew's equipment contacted live power lines in Rehoboth, Massachusetts on Monday. He died yesterday. A co-worker of Shaw's from Maine died on Monday. The men were part of a crew doing maintenance work on high-tension lines when a crossbeam they were attempting to install accidentally contacted a 115-thousand volt line.
25,000 VOLTS HIT DAD-TO-BE Jul 2 2003; Engineer fights for life after rail horror Paula Murray A RAIL engineer was fighting for his life yesterday after suffering a massive electric shock from a power line. Scot Richard McBride, whose wife is expecting their first child, was working near Birmingham when the 25,000-volt blast hit him. The 28-year-old, originally from Drongan in Ayrshire, was working on new overhead lines at Marston Green Railway Station when the accident happened at around 1.30am. He suffered severe burns after electricity arced from one of the existing power lines and hit him. He was rushed to the Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham before being taken to the special burns unit at Selly Oak Hospital. Last night, doctors there described his condition as "critical but stable". Richard and his wife Nicola Anne, 29, whom he married in Prestwick three years ago, had just moved into a new home in Rugby, Warwickshire. Last night, she said: "Richard is still critical but stable. He's OK. I've been by his side since the accident happened. "I am expecting our first child and I was up all night. I'm really tired." Richard was contracted to Kent-based Elec-Track Installations Ltd. A spokesman for the firm said: "We have an excellent safety record and all staff are given training. "Our thoughts are with the employee concerned and his family." One ETI worker, who declined to be named, said: "It is terrible. I've heard he suffered up to 45 per cent burns." The Health and Safety Executive and Network Rail immediately launched investigations. A Network Rail spokeswoman said: "Electricity can arc and it looks like this might have happened. "There will be a full investigation."
Power company worker survives 220,000-volt shock 02.07.2003 By JO-MARIE BROWN A Transpower contractor is in hospital with serious burns after 220,000 volts from the national grid shot through his body. The 34-year-old Taupo man, employed by Electrix, was working inside the Wairakei substation when the accident occurred around 11am yesterday. He was knocked unconscious when power surged through one of his hands and out the other, leaving him with a hole in one palm and serious burns. "He was working on a high voltage transmission area where the line meets some other equipment," Transpower spokesman Wayne Eagleson said. Mr Eagleson said such accidents rarely occurred. He would not comment on whether the man was lucky to be alive after being struck by 220,000 volts, but pointed out that most power lines in residential areas carried only 11,000 volts. The Tranz Rail rescue helicopter flew the man to Rotorua Hospital. He was said to be recovering well last night. Transpower and Occupational Safety and Health are investigating.
1 Worker Killed, 4 Hurt By High-Voltage Power Line; Truck Touches 115,000-Volt Line June 30, 2003 REHOBOTH, Mass. -- One worker was killed and four others were seriously injured Monday when they were shocked by high-power electrical lines in Rehoboth, News Channel 10 reported. The workers were attending to power lines on Baker Road when the accident happened about 3:30 p.m. News Channel 10's Mario Hilario reported that the workers were employed by a contractor for National Grid, the parent company of Massachusetts Electric. An official said a boom on one of the workers' trucks came in contact with the 115,000-volt line. Two of the workers were sent to Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, two more went to Morton Hospital in Taunton and the fifth went to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. Two were in critical condition and two were in stable condition Monday night. They were being treated for burns, Hilario reported. The state police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were called in to investigate. Hilario reported that the accident had no impact on power to homes or businesses.
Substation blast cuts off power to 6,411 By MOLLY MOORHEAD, Times Staff Writer St. Petersburg Times June 30, 2003 WESLEY CHAPEL - A small explosion at an electrical substation Sunday morning injured one worker and interrupted power to about 6,400 customers. Progress Energy Florida employees were installing new equipment at the substation 2 miles west of Interstate 75 on State Road 54 at 10:30 a.m. when a "very small, contained explosion" occurred, spokesman Aaron Perlut said. Perlut did not release the name of the employee, but said his injuries were not life threatening. Pasco County Fire Rescue officials said the man was taken to a hospital in a helicopter. Ernie Holzhauer - spokesman for Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, which owns the substation - said 6,411 customers in the Wesley Chapel area experienced an outage. Power was restored in seven minutes, he said. The explosion did not interrupt power to any Progress Energy customers or damage the substation. Progress Energy was investigating the cause of the explosion. "We take any kind of accident very seriously," Perlut said.
Man Dies After Being Electrocuted Altoona -- A Johnstown man died in an unusual accident yesterday. Altoona Police say Christopher Kujanpaa was painting this house when his roller touched a high voltage line. The jolt sent him into immediate cardiac arrest. Two women, who were swimming in their pool, saw what happened and rushed over to help. He died at the Altoona Hospital.
4,000 homes without power after explosion; Residents likely to stay in dark until this morning; Six homes evacuated but residents later allowed back STEVE KRAVITZ AND CYNTHIA LEE STAFF REPORTERS An explosion and fire at a hydro distribution substation left 4,000 households in a large swath of west-end Toronto without power last night. The fire broke out around 7 p.m. in a Toronto Hydro transformer in the Dupont St. and Ossington Ave. substation and soon spread to another part of the station, blanketing the area with thick clouds of black smoke. One hundred firefighters and 25 trucks responded to the four-alarm blaze. Toronto Fire Platoon Chief Larry Fry said the main concern was that the intense heat would ignite more fires nearby. Six houses and a nearby factory were subsequently evacuated. Residents, however, later returned to their homes, which were undamaged. Though firefighters had the blaze under control by 9:45 p.m., residents living in the area bounded by Bloor St. and St. Clair Ave. and from Dufferin St. east to Spadina Ave. were left in darkness by the loss of the substation. Last night, a Toronto Hydro spokesperson said the power would probably be out until this morning. Spokesperson Laurie McFadden said two transformers were damaged and a crew was trying to operate the local distribution grid with the remaining two transformers. "Our goal is to get power back as quickly as possible," she said. McFadden said hydro officials still did not yet know the cause of the fire, but Fry speculated it may have been a malfunction in the transformer. Emergency crews at the scene expressed concerns about possible PCBs at the site. But hydro officials said the company no longer uses the toxic material in its transformers. Still, hazardous materials crews were called in to monitor and try to disperse the thick smoke. "It wasn't your ordinary wood smell," said local resident Helen Brown, who lives a block from the substation. "The smoke was black and went straight up to the west," she said. Brown said she was glad the power outage did not happen during last week's heat wave and that her only concern now was that the food in her fridge not spoil. Student Roddy Gangoo said he "was kind of ticked off" because he couldn't even finish cooking the chicken he was going to have for dinner. "There it goes, into the garbage," he said. Residents are advised to unplug or turn off all appliances including TVs, computers and other sensitive equipment to avoid possible damage when power resumes, hydro officials said.
Man Dies While Trimming Trees Jun 21, 2003 A man cutting limbs off a pine tree in South Richmond was apparently electrocuted yesterday afternoon when one of the branches hit a nearby power line. The victim, whose identity was not released, died in the tree and had to be removed by Richmond firefighters once Dominion Power workers cut the power to the lines. The death remains under investigation. Rescuers were called to the front yard at 58 Rodman Road, which is off Old Midlothian Turnpike, shortly before 4 p.m.
UPDATE Underground Services (1983) Ltd. fined $150,000 for health and safety violation BELLEVILLE, ON, June 19 /CNW/ - Underground Services (1983) Ltd., a Bolton, Ont. construction company, was fined $150,000 on June 17, 2003 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted in the death of two workers. On October 26, 2001, workers were removing "jersey barriers" (concrete road barriers) at a highway road and bridge repair project when a cable on a crane, which was being used to lift the barriers, came in contact with a 44,000-volt overhead power line. The incident occurred as one of the workers, who had been signalling the crane operator, went to speak to a second worker. At the time, the crane was in a stopped position. While the signal worker's back was turned, the crane started to back up and the second worker yelled for the signal worker to alert the crane operator of the nearby overhead wires. However, before the signal worker could warn the operator, the crane's cable came in contact with the power line, which was located 11.58 metres (37 feet, 11 inches) above the highway, and the crane became energized. The signal worker was electrocuted while trying to get between the crane and centre median to warn the operator. The operator was electrocuted while trying to leave the crane's cab, possibly after seeing the signal worker fall. Both workers died as a result of their injuries. The incident occurred on Highway 401 near Highway 62 in Belleville. Underground Services (1983) Ltd. had been contracted by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to conduct the highway repairs on Highway 401 between overpasses on Highways 37 and 62. Underground Services had, in turn, contracted some of the work to a crane company, which employed the two deceased workers. As constructor, Underground Services had overall responsibility for the safety of all employers and workers on the project. Underground Services (1983) Ltd. pleaded guilty, as the constructor, to failing to ensure warning signs were posted in prominent locations where there was a potential hazard from energized overhead power lines, as required by Section 44 of the Regulations for Construction Projects. This was contrary to Section 23(1)(a) of the act. The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Sheila Matchett of the Ontario Court of Justice in Belleville. In addition, the court imposed a 25- per-cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act.
Electric Power Line Shocks Worker Tuesday, June 17 6:00pm By Norm Jones An electric power line shocked a man Tuesday while he worked in Lycoming County. The shock so severe, it seriously burned him. It all happened while he watched over a prison inmate. The work going on was part of the Lycoming County's Jail Work Release Program. Now investigators want to know why the men were so close to the lines. The man injured is a construction foreman. He was working with a prisoner in Montgomery when the motorized life they were in got dangerously close to the line. It was an accident that some say, didn't have to happen. But when it did, Montgomery resident and Emergency Medical Technician Danielle Bryson happened to be nearby, and looking in that direction. She explained she saw the lift touch the power lines, saw sparks fly, and yelled for the men to get away from the machine The foreman, Michael Niedermyer of Williamsport, bumped into the wire, sending an electric current through his body. Danielle Bryson said she asked other men to keep checking on his pulse and breathing while she went to get help. When crews arrived, they immediately attended to Niedermyer and the inmate, while prison officials investigated. Warden David Desmond told us that all of the prison's work crew foremen are experienced in various trades and construction. The County had rented the lift from a local company. A spokesman there told us most of the inmate workers and foremen at this particular site did pass a safety certification test to operate the lift. Warden David Desmond said that included Niedermyer. Officials told Newswatch 16 the inmate was not injured and as of 6:00 Tuesday evening. Niedermyer was still receiving treatment at a hospital.
UPDATE Companies plead guilty to safety breaches June 18 2003 By Selma Milovanovic Two companies yesterday pleaded guilty to safety breaches over the death of an electrical worker and serious injuries to another who performed hazardous tasks while unsupervised. John Murphy died while replacing a power pole four years ago, the Melbourne Magistrates Court heard. Mr Murphy was a leading hand of a Skilled Engineering crew employed by United Energy to replace a power pole in Oakleigh on January 27, 1999. Mr Murphy was standing in a cherry-picker and working with 240-volt power lines when a colleague, Daryl Webster, who was delegated the job of safety observer, told Mr Murphy he was going to the crane truck to get tools, just before Mr Murphy suffered an electric shock. United Energy and Skilled Engineering pleaded guilty to failing to ensure a safety observer was present and performed their duty, and failing to ensure protective matting was used. United Energy also pleaded guilty to failing to provide a safety observer in the case of a worker who suffered burns to 50 per cent of his body after suffering an electric shock. On July 16, 1997, Jamie Moore was subcontracted by United Energy to do maintenance work on an electrical substation in Dandenong. The court heard that at the time of the accident there was no supervisor present. Prosecutor Paul Holdenson, QC, said an industry code of practice provided that where it was considered a person or equipment might contact live apparatus, a safety observer needed to be present. Ross Ray, QC, for United Energy, said that since the accident, the entire industry had enforced the issue of safety observers far more rigorously. Magistrate Jelena Popovic adjourned her decision to June 25.
UPDATE Louisiana company cited for safety violations in Mississippi The U.S. Department of Labor fined a Louisiana-based company $46,800 for safety violations at a job site in Gulfport where a worker was injured by an electric shock. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Marlin Contracting Co., Inc. for a Jan. 2 accident. Marlin Contracting, a utility contractor in Harvey, La., had eight employees working on a power line when one member of the crew, who had been on the job for two days, received a shock and severe burns. The worker remains partially paralyzed from his injuries. OSHA issued 12 citations for violations of safety standards. The company is charged with: -Failing to provide safety training for employees working with high-voltage electrical lines and operating aerial lift equipment -Failing to maintain the required distance between workers, equipment and energized power lines. -Not providing tools certified for use on power lines. -Not inspecting and discarding damaged tools or insulating equipment. -Failing to provide adequate traffic barriers and high visibility clothing for ground employees working near traffic areas. "This accident could have been prevented if the company had taken precautions required by OSHA regulations and industry practice," said Clyde Payne, OHSA's Jackson area director. Marlin Contracting has 15 working days to contest the OSHA citation and proposed penalties.
UTILITY WORKER KILLED AS HE RESTORED STORM OUTAGE A Nashville Electric Service lineman has been electrocuted as crews worked to restore power outages caused by storms. A utility spokeswoman says Curtis Peterson Junior had climbed a power pole in the Joelton area on Nashville's northwest edge and touched a live line. Teresa Corlew says another lineman working with Peterson called 9-1-1, did a pole top rescue, then performed C-P-R on the victim until an ambulance arrived. The incident occurred shortly after eleven p-m Central time yesterday. Peterson was pronounced dead at Skyline Medical Center.
Electrocution confirmed in area worker’s death NEW LONDON — A 30-year-old Hortonville man who died Thursday while working on a highway crew was electrocuted, Outagamie County Coroner Ruth Wulgaert said Friday. An autopsy conducted by a forensic pathologist of the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the cause of death for Kevin Johnson, she said. Staff Sgt. Bob Bekx, of the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department, said police investigators were unable to determine the source of the fatal shock, but concluded the death was not suspicious. Johnson was setting off explosives using an electronic detonator when the mishap occurred at about 10:30 a.m. on County D, about three miles south of New London.
Fremont worker injured at substation By Fremont Tribune Staff A Fremont utility worker was injured in a Tuesday afternoon accident and is being treated at an Omaha hospital. Derril Marshall, general manager of the Fremont Department of Utilities, said the man was doing general maintenance at the substation at Somers Avenue and County Road T when the accident occurred. The man was working near high voltage lines on a metal structure at that station when it's believed one of his tools came in contact with the line, Marshall said. He was then transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. The incident occurred around 1-1:30 p.m. Due to privacy laws, the name of the individual could not be released.
Worker Shocked 40 Feet Above Ground FULLERTON — A serious shock - 40 feet above the ground - sends a local utility worker to the hospital. The Southern California Edison employee suffered the electric shock while working on a 12,000-volt power line on the 4200 block of West Hill Ave. in Fullerton. The accident happened in the early morning hours, according to an Orange County Fire Authority spokesperson. Jon Perez was working on a "cross arm" on the pole when he was injured, said SCE's Paul Klein. Perez was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he was still being treated some nine hours later, Klein said. His condition was not immediately known. The circumstances of the accident were under investigation.
Southwest worker dies in mishap By JAMIE PAGE 06/ 3 2003 The May 4 tornadoes took 11 lives. Nearly a month later, the maintenance work in the storm's aftermath has taken another. Danny Ray Butler, an employee for Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Corp., died Sunday night at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital after a broken utility pole fell on him. Butler, 54, of Spring Creek, was a service truck operator and groundsman for Southwest. "He was as good as his word ... if he said he was going to do something he did it," said his wife, Sue Butler, 38. "He was as honest as the day was long, and he was a very, very good husband and father." Starting to cry, she said, "I'll miss him very, very much." Butler and co-worker Jason Brown were responding to a service call Sunday evening off Ranger Road in the Beech Bluff area, where a damaged service pole had most likely been split by last month's tornadoes. While Butler was disconnecting the lines, the pole broke and fell on top of him, said Trent Scott, marketing coordinator for Southwest. The owner of the rental property, where the service pole only affected that particular property's electricity, said he had not been to the scene since the storm and assumed the damage was caused by the tornadoes, Scott said. Butler was conscious at the scene, but was pronounced dead at 9:30 p.m. Sunday at Jackson General, Scott said. "There is no better human being in this world than him," said Jimmie Burchett, a close family friend. "He would do anything he could to help anybody. He was a very good man, a good father, he loved his work, a great person all around." Butler, who was born and raised in Madison County, had worked for Southwest since September 1995. He leaves behind his wife of 14 years, daughter Jauvada Arnold, two stepdaughters, Mandy Pickard of Pinson and Crystal Hill of Spring Creek, two grandchildren, Josh Grant and McKenzie Pickard, and a brother Billy Butler of Chatsworth, Ga. "We are extending our sympathies to his family," Scott said.
UPDATE Lawrenceburg City Employee's Electrocution Investigated Reported by: 9News Web produced by: Liz Foreman Tuesday, inspectors will be back on the scene where a Lawrenceburg city worker was electrocuted. John Davis, 59, was electrocuted Monday afternoon while working on an underground transformer box by the river levy at the end of Walnut Street. Investigators are trying to figure out why he was working on the transformer alone. Davis had only two years left until retirement. He left behind his wife, two children and several grandchildren. Mayor Tremain has closed down the city for the rest of the week except for all emergency personnel.
UPDATE NESTLE AND MONOTRONIC FINED £245,000 FOLLOWING ELECTROCUTION One of the country’s largest food and drink manufacturers, Nestlé UK Ltd, was on Friday 30 May fined £220,000 following a fatal accident in 1999 when a contractor’s employee was electrocuted undertaking work at Nestlé’s factory in Nestles Avenue, Hayes, Middlesex. The man’s employer, Monotronic Ltd, was fined £25,000. Isleworth Crown Court ordered Nestlé to pay £30,000 in costs. The Health and Safety Executive prosecuted both companies after the accident on 25 November 1999. Anthony Allen, an electrician for Monotronic Ltd, Lind Road, Sutton, Surrey, was electrocuted while pulling out redundant cables from trunking in the coffee plant in the factory. Monotronic Ltd was charged with breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work, etc., Act 1974, for failing to ensure the safety of its employee. Nestlé UK Ltd was charged with breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work, etc., Act 1974, for failing to ensure the safety of people not employed by them but affected by its work. HSE Principal Inspector Samantha Peace said after the verdict: “Some 18 workers were killed by contact with electricity in 1999 – one of them was Anthony Allen. His death could have been avoided if Nestlé had ensured its contractors either followed or had in place a safe system of work, similar to the system Nestlé managed for its own employees. “Every company, however large or small, must ensure that contractors have safe systems of work and follow them. This is particularly important for electrical work.”
Tri-State Worker Killed On Job Site; Few Details Available About Man's Electrocution Police are investigating an incident in which a man was electrocuted at a job site Monday afternoon. Few details are available, but WLWT Eyewitness News 5 confirmed that a worker died on the job site shortly before 5 p.m. in Lawrenceburg, Ind. The victim's name has not been released. Please follow WLWT Eyewitness News 5 and ChannelCincinnati.com for updates to this story as they become available.
UPDATE Lac Des Iles Mines Limited fined $50,000 for health and safety violations THUNDER BAY, ON, May 30 /CNW/ - Lac Des Iles Mines Limited, a Toronto-based mining corporation which operates Lac Des Iles Mine about 102 kilometres (63 miles) north of Thunder Bay, was fined $50,000 on May 28, 2003 for three violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted in hand burns to an electrical worker. On August 7, 2001, an electrician was doing electrical work at a new electrical substation at Lac Des Iles Mine near Highway 527 when the worker's right hand came in contact with a live electrical component on a 4,160-volt control panel. The worker received second-degree burns. Prior to doing the electrical work, steps had been taken to de-energize the circuit and breaker control, but the system had not yet been tested to ensure it was fully de-energized. Unknown to the electrician, there was a back feed of electricity running from an old electrical substation. A Ministry of Labour investigation found there was no current, permanent, single-line electrical drawing posted in a conspicuous location at the substation that would have shown the electrical back feed. There was also no notice warning that either side of a disconnecting device could be energized. Both were requirements of the Ontario Electrical Code. The electrician had also not been informed of proper high- voltage procedures for working with energized equipment. The worker was employed by a Thunder Bay electric company, which had been contracted to do electrical work at the electrical substation at Lac Des Iles Mine, which produces a mineral called palladium. Lac Des Iles Mines Limited pleaded guilty, as an employer, to 1. Failing to post a current, permanent, legible, single-line electrical drawing in a conspicuous location at the electrical substation, as required by Section 155(1) of the Regulation for Mines and Mining Plants. This was contrary to Section 25(1)(c) of the act; 2. Failing to post on an emergency tiebreaker electrical panel a notice warning that electrical contacts on either side of the disconneting device could be energized, as required by Section 155(1) of the Regulation for Mines and Mining Plants. This was contrary to Section 25(1)(c) of the act; and 3. Failing to inform, instruct and supervise workers on proper high-voltage procedures. This was contrary to Section 25(2)(a) of the act. Justice of the Peace Tom Logan, of the Ontario Court of Justice in Thunder Bay, fined the company $20,000 on the first count, $20,000 on the second count and $10,000 on the third count. A supervisor pleaded guilty to failing to post a current, permanent, legible, single-line electrical drawing in a conspicuous location at the electrical substation. This was contrary to Section 27(2)(c) of the act. Justice of the Peace Logan fined the supervisor $5,000. In addition, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge on the fines against the company and supervisor, as required by the Provincial Offences Act.
UPDATE Hydro One Network Services Inc. fined $100,000 for health and safety violation TORONTO, May 29 /CNW/ - Hydro One Network Services Inc., a Toronto-based company which provides maintenance, repair and operational services to Hydro One Networks Inc., an electricity transmission and distribution subsidiary of Hydro One Inc., was fined $100,000 on May 27, 2003 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted in serious burns to two employees. On October 11, 2001, two construction workers were taking measurements and verifying positions of parts they were making at a Toronto transformer substation when a metal measuring tape being used by one of the workers came in contact with energized equipment. The worker suffered burns to the right bicep area, the arms, hands, face and neck. The second worker suffered flash burns to the eyes and a temporary loss of vision. At the time of the incident, the first worker was on a scaffold platform and the second worker was on a ladder leading up to the scaffold platform. One end of the scaffold was located 1.5 metres (five feet) away from the energized equipment. The workers had been fabricating a framework for a wall that was to be used to extend the walls between transformer bays at the transformer substation, which was owned by Hydro One Networks Inc. at 83 Charles Street in Toronto. Hydro One Network Services Inc. pleaded guilty to failing, as an employer, to ensure that tools, ladders, scaffolding and other equipment and materials capable of conducting electricity were not stored or used so close to an energized electrical installation, equipment or conductor that they could make electrical contact with an energized conductor, as required by Section 194 of the Regulations for Construction Projects. This was contrary to Section 25(1)(c) of the act. The fine was imposed by Justice Robert Bigelow of the Ontario Court of Justice at Old City Hall in Toronto. In addition, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act.
Utilities worker shocked east of Grand Island By Gretchen Fowler Publication Date: 05/29/03 A Grand Island Utilities Department worker was shocked shortly after 11 a.m. today when he apparently grabbed a wire he shouldn't have. Bob Smith of the Utilities Department said crews were working at a home on Hermitage Place, just west of the Hall/Merrick county line, when the accident occurred. He said city employee Pat Bittner grabbed an energized wire he thought had no power to it. Smith said it appears that the charge went in Bittner's arm and out through his knee. He said Bittner, who was taken to St. Francis Medical Center, was up and walking around after the accident happened but had blistering burns on his arm. "We're extremely grateful, I think, that nothing worse happened. This crew is always very safe, and we take all the precautions we can," Smith said. "I don't know why that wire was energized." Donald Kohtz of the Grand Island Rural Fire Department lives about five blocks from where the accident happened. He said he was cleaning his pool when he heard what sounded like a shotgun. Shortly after, he said, his pager went off. Kohtz said there was no explosion, but added, "The arch of the short circuit will make it sound like an explosion." Neighbors as far away as Bismark Street said they lost power when the accident occurred. The Hall County Sheriff's Department is investigating the incident.
Regina man electrocuted The Leader-Post Thursday, May 22, 2003 A 29-year-old Regina man was killed Wednesday after being electrocuted while attempting to clear a power line that struck a cultivator attachment in the Grand Coulee area. RCMP say a power pole in a field was struck and knocked over while the man was cultivating in a field, north of the Trans-Canada Highway about five kilometres west of Regina. The power line came into contact with the cultivator. Police say the man, whose name has not been released, died while attempting to free the power line. The accident occurred shortly before 1:30 p.m.
Gulf Power lineman electrocuted in Panhandle A Gulf Power Co. lineman was electrocuted when he came into contact with a live wire, the Pensacola-based utility's first fatality in 21 years. Joseph D. "J.D." Webb died Tuesday, the same day emergency personnel in a neighboring Florida Panhandle county were honored for saving the life of another Gulf Power employee shocked two weeks earlier. Webb, 31, died at West Florida Hospital in nearby Pensacola after he was shocked while working in a bucket truck in this Santa Rosa County community, Gulf Power spokeswoman Lynn Erickson said. Webb, who was single, had worked for Gulf Power for eight years. Okaloosa County Commissioners, also Tuesday, honored emergency workers who helped save Gulf Power employee Timmy Oakes, who was shocked May 2 while working on an electrical box behind a new building supply store in Destin. "I'm thankful for life today, and I'm thankful that all of you men and women, that God had you in place," Oakes, 29, said during the ceremony. "It makes a difference." He was in critical condition when taken Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola but upgraded to good in just two days. Another Gulf Power employee, Alan Hall, helped pry Oakes from the electrical box. Two sheriff's deputies administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation until Destin firefighters arrived with a defibrillator to shock him back to life. Ambulance personnel then completed the rescue.
Downtown Memphis Power Outage May 20, 2003 Memphis, TN - Power is restored to downtown memphis after a transformer blew leaving much of the area in the dark. Two MLGW workers were injured in the incident. The two men were working on a substation on South Third Street when the accident happened. The substation supplies power for the area between Danny Thomas and the Mississippi River bordered the north and south by Monroe and Crump. The two MLGW workers were transported to the Med in critical condition and at this hour MLGW continues their investigation as to what happened. All of this unfolded around 8:30 this morning when those two MLGW workers were doing regular maintenance on a transformer at the substation on South Third, across from the main post office when something went wrong. A transformer in the area where they were working blew, injuring them both. We are told by mehcanics who work next door to the substation that there were sparks and a small fire that was quickly put out with a fire extinguisher by MLGW employees. Right now, MLGW is not calling this an explosion, but those who were near the substation when the transformer blew, say that's exactly what it sounded like. An eyewitness says, "I was coming right there off the bus and I heard the loud noise and I saw the smoke, for a minute, I thought something else had happened, thought maybe a bomb had gone off right here." MLGW Spokesman Mark Heuberger says, "Our first concern right now is to take care of those employees injured and they have been transported to the hospital and now we will begin the process of restoring power and investigating what happened." MLGW crews were still on the scene late today at the Third Street station. They are in the middle of they are calling safety audit. Power was fully restored just before ten this morning.
Electrician burned in accident; Flash fire leads to second- and third-degree burns By Don Fasnacht Staff writer An electrician suffered burns over most of his body Thursday when an electrical short ignited his clothing while he was working at the Richmond Sears store. Timothy Blake, 37, Camden, Ohio, is in serious condition at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. He was working on a circuit breaker panel that contained 440-volt service when he accidentally shorted the circuit, Battalion Chief Jerry Purcell of the Richmond Fire Department said. There was a flash fire that set his clothes on fire. "He had second-degree burns over most of his body and some third-degree burns," Purcell said. Damages to the electrical system were estimated at a minimum of $100,000. The fire was quickly brought under control. Sears was closed for the remainder of Thursday. The accident happened minutes before noon. Sears phones were not working this morning and officials at Richmond Square Mall said Sears has no official estimate of when it will re-open. All other stores in the mall are open as usual. No stores other than Sears had to be evacuated Thursday. Blake was working for Bremmer Electric of Cincinnati. He was treated at Reid Hospital and then taken to Dayton by helicopter.
Man electrocuted at BU By MICHAEL REICH Press Enterprise Writer BLOOMSBURG -- A Stroudsburg man was electrocuted while working in a mechanical room at Bloomsburg University's Kehr Union building early Wednesday afternoon. Craige Diaz, 48, was working alone, replacing a transfer switch, when he was electrocuted, according to university spokeswoman Bonnie Martin. Columbia County Deputy Coroner Diane Benner said university employees found him down and started performing CPR. Benner added that no one's exactly sure how much time had passed between the time Diaz was fatally shocked and when he was found. She did say, though, that the last time anyone had contact with him was 45 minutes to an hour before he was pronounced dead at Bloomsburg Hospital at 2:24 p.m. Martin said Diaz didn't work for BU. He was an employee of Emergency Systems Service Co., of Quakertown. Chief Coroner Dr. Michael Kenny said the electric current probably sent Diaz into a cardiac arrhythmia. "Electricians are always shocking themselves and unfortunately, this time it was a fatal case," said Kenny. Kenny said it wasn't a high voltage that killed Diaz. He explained that even a shock from a household current can be enough to send your heart into an arrhythmia.
Ethanol plant worker shocked, but doing OK Associated Press BROOKINGS, S.D. - A worker at an ethanol plant under construction in Brookings County was brought to the hospital after getting an electrical shock. Robert Rassel, 39, of Iowa, was conscious and doing OK after the accident Thursday afternoon at the Vera Sun Energy plant near Aurora. He went to the Brookings hospital as a precaution but has since been released. The sheriff said the accident happened when a back hoe unearthed a buried cable and it came in contact with chains being used to move equipment. Rassel was shocked when he touched the chains.
Electrocuted worker falls to his death canada.com Wednesday, May 14, 2003 VANCOUVER -- A man has plunged to his death from the roof a 10-storey building in downtown Vancouver. Police say two window washers working for Allstar Holdings were flipping a piece of scaffolding cable over the side of the building when it touched a power line. The force of the electrical shock threw the man over the side of the tower, which is located at Pender and Thurlow in the city's downtown core. The second man was injured. The coroner, the Workers Compensation Board and B.C. Hydro are all investigating the accident.
UPDATE Worker injured in drilling accident; Out of intensive care, listed in fair condition Staff Report A 29-year-old Caza Drilling Co. worker, seriously injured in a drilling accident south of Silt on April 30, was listed in fair condition in St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction on Monday. “He is out of intensive care, but still in the hospital,” said Caza spokesperson Harry Olds. Olds said the worker, from Rock Springs, Wyo., suffered scalp and chest injuries. Olds declined to release the worker’s name. The Denver-based Caza is a contractor for EnCana Oil and Gas, which plans to drill 250 gas wells in the Mamm Creek field this year. Chris Williams, a spokesperson for EnCana, said the accident occurred on Caza rig No. 11, at approximately 10:30 p.m. Workers were taking pipe out of the drilling rig when the accident occurred, Williams said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident. “We can’t say anything about it until the investigation is complete,” Williams said. The worker was airlifted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, said EnCana spokesperson Sherry Long. “He was being trained at the time,” Long said.
Man Electrocuted Installing TV Antenna May 12, 2003 A man was killed when he was shocked while putting up a TV antenna at a home in southern Ohio Sunday. The Vinton County Sheriff's Office says Bruce Sims was killed when the tip of the antenna touched a power line. Sims was pronounced dead at the scene. A second person was taken to Adena Regional Medical Center in Chillicothe with burns to his hands and feet. A third person wasn't hurt.
Construction worker dies when drill touches power line A Temple Terrace man was killed when the drilling pipe he was using touched 7,200-volt electrical lines, officials said. Daniel Rivera, 43, was pronounced dead about one hour after the incident, which occurred late Thursday morning. Rivera worked for Nutting Engineers of Florida Inc., officials said. Pasco County sheriff's spokesman Jim Campbell said the death was "avoidable," but that investigators found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. John Pita, one of Rivera's co-workers, said the drillers relied on drawings provided by Rimkus Consulting Group. Michael Powell, a co-consultant at Rimkus, told Campbell he had "misaligned the drawing 180 degrees," a mistake that put the drilling too close to power lines.
Worker Suffers from Electric Shock May 9, 2003 — A worker suffered a serious electric shock atop a ladder today. It happened at 12th and Chew in Fern Rock at 2pm. The man was putting siding up on a house and one of the pieces of siding hit a line and the man was shocked. After being shocked the 50 year old man fell approximately 50 feet onto concrete and brought wires down with him. He was rushed to Einstein Hospital. PGW and PECO responded to the scene. The man was working on an area line which can carry anywhere from 4-13 thousand volts. A fire department battalion chief reported a strong odor of natural gas when he arrived at the scene. PGW said they are investigating the cause of the leak at this time. Power is currently out in the area.
UPDATE Pike Electric cited for Gardner Drive accident Pike Electric may have to pay a $25,000 federal fine for a November accident on Gardner Drive in Port Charlotte. In the Nov. 19 incident, a Pike Electric employee brushed against a power line on Gardner Drive, shocking him and another worker and creating a domino effect that included another gas leak and fires that damaged Karen's Kiddie Korrell, a daycare center, and destroyed a house. No one else was hurt. Just four days earlier, employees of Pike Electric, which subcontracts with Florida Power & Light, mistakenly cut a gas line on Gardner, forcing the neighborhood's evacuation. Now, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration is levying a $25,000 citation penalty against the North Carolina-based electrical contracting company for the Nov. 19 accident. The company can appeal that decision in 15 days. According to the citation, OSHA found that the Pike employee handled a live wire without using appropriate rubber gloves. The Friday after the incident, Karen Spieldenner, owner of the daycare center, said she saw workers on the power poles without safety equipment. "But they did (use safety equipment) after that," said Spieldenner, who thinks the $25,000 fine is fair. "OSHA handled it very professionally." She also had glowing praise for FP&L, which paid for and saw that all the damage to her business was repaired within two months. "They were good to me," Spieldenner said. The Gardner Drive incident was not the first time OSHA has fined the company for not using safety equipment. The federal agency cited Pike Electric for a similar incident in Pulaski, Ga. Other incidents proved more serious. In March 2001, OSHA cited Pike Electric for 10 serious safety violations and proposed $61,000 in penalties after a worker was electrocuted in Loganville, Ga. According to OSHA's Web site, a Pike employee working in an elevated lineman's bucket was electrocuted on Sept. 11, 2000, when he came in contact with a 14,400-volt power line. At the time, OSHA Atlanta acting director William Grimes stated, "Basic safety precautions -- responsible training and appropriate protective equipment -- could have saved this worker's life." Pike Electric officials could not be reached for comment Thursday. A company Internet site described Pike Electric as an electrical contracting firm with 4,400 employees, founded in 1945. Its service area includes the Southeast and areas as far north as Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. FP&L contracts Pike Electric to replace power poles and other maintenance in Southwest Florida. FP&L spokesman Bill Swank said his company will first evaluate the OSHA report before any action is taken.
Worker Electrocuted A day on the job turned deadly, when a man was electrocuted in Hancock County. It happened Wednesday afternoon, as an electrical crew worked at a sub-station in Washington Township. The sheriff's department says a male electrician came in contact with a grounded line and was electrocuted. We won't know who the victim is until authorities notify the family.
Lightning shakes up Austin Energy worker 5/6/2003 3:14 PM By: News 8 Austin Staff A lightning strike shook up an Austin Energy crew member, but he was not injured. Around 11 a.m. Tuesday, Justin Fowler was part of a crew installing a new electric line near I-35 and Parmer Lane. The team began working after lightning and rain appeared to have passed. "He has no injuries except, once again, just the shock of the event. The lightning struck nearby. It did not strike him. It did not strike the bucket truck," Ed Clark, of Austin Energy, said. As a precaution, Fowler was taken to Brackenridge Hospital for overnight observation.
Two RG&E workers burned Two RG&E workers were injured Wednesday morning after accidentally coming into contact with a live wire. It happened around 9:40 a.m. at an RG&E substation on Swan Street. Officials say the employees were in the process of working on power switches when a flash of electricity sparked in the process and injured them. They were taken to Strong Memorial Hospital. The extent of their injuries is unknown at this time but they were conscious on their way to the hospital. An RG&E spokesman says the employees were doing a routine job. Around 3,000 customers are without power in the downtown area. Those affected are between the Goodman Street and Scio Street area. RG&E hopes to have the power restored by this afternoon.
Worker Burned By Electric Shock A Breed Technologies employee working on electrical equipment suffered a 440-volt shock to his hands Monday, rescue workers said. The man, whose name was not released, suffered third-degree burns to his hands and was flown to a Tampa hospital, said Commander Jim Robson of the Lakeland Fire Department. The incident occurred about 4:10 p.m. while the man worked on electrical equipment. He was shocked, then walked into a break room where co-workers found him. The man was conscious and talked to emergency workers before he was flown out, Robson said. Peter McElroy, a spokesman for Breed, confirmed that there was an injury at the air bag and seat belt manufacturer company. He said company officials continue to investigate the injury.
Boss to face charges over earring electrocution An electrical company boss faces charges for failing to provide a safe environment for a young electrician electrocuted through his earring, police said Wednesday. Police have sent documents accusing the unnamed 53-year-old electrical company boss from Kawasaki of negligence resulting in death. They say he should have informed the 18-year-old electrician of the dangers involved in working with high voltage electricity, as well as prevented him from wearing the earring that ultimately cost him his life. Police said the young electrician was working in the power room of a building in Tokyo's Shinjuku-ku on Nov. 6 when the tragedy occurred. His earring touched an electrical circuit emanating 6,600 volts of electricity, killing him instantly. Fellow employees were testing the power flow on a transformer at the time and did not tell him that the high voltage circuit would be operating while he was in the room. The boy had only recently joined the electrical company. (Mainichi Shimbun, April 17, 2002)
Utility Worker's Truck Explodes As He Jumps To Safety
A close call Thursday for a utility worker in Luzerne County. He leaped to safety as his truck exploded in flames. It happened at First and Alter Streets in Hazleton just after 2:00 Thursday afternoon. A two-man crew from "Hinkels and McCoy" was replacing a utility pole for P.P.L. when the line started to fall. One worker thirty feet up in the truck's "bucket" jumped to safety just before the truck exploded. The blast was heard blocks away and even though firefighters arrived in minutes, they had to wait while the live line was turned off to fight the flames. By then the truck was gutted. A nearby home had its windows blown out but no one was hurt. Police, Fire and P.P.L. officials are still investigating and no names have been released after Thursday afternoon's close call in Hazleton.
Man dead after being electrocuted as tree tool touched power line Thursday, May 01, 2003 - GLENDORA — A Pomona man was electrocuted on Thursday when an aluminum tree trimming tool he was using came into contact with a 12,000-volt power line. Esteban Cardenas, 25, was perched on a tree limb clipping branches in the back yard of a home at 2507 Country Club Drive in Glendora when his tool struck the power line, said Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Ed Osorio. When Cardenas screamed out in pain, his employer, Exiquio Cazares, 32, of Riverside, tried to knock him out of the tree and suffered first- and second-degree burns to his arm, Osorio said. Firefighters arrived within minutes. It took another 20 to 25 minutes to shut off the power, Osorio said. County paramedics pronounced Cardenas dead at the scene. Cazares was taken to San Dimas Community Hospital and later released. Power was lost briefly for about 2,000 Edison customers in the area.
Charges against parent firm dismissed in electrical deaths By Shamus Toomey Daily Herald Staff Writer Posted May 02, 2003 A federal judge Thursday threw out criminal charges against the parent company of an electrical firm accused of improperly training two workers electrocuted atop high-tension wires in the suburbs. U.S. Magistrate Judge Geraldine Soat Brown dismissed the charges against MYR Group Inc. but left in place criminal charges against its subsidiary, L.E. Myers Co. of Rolling Meadows. Both were indicted Dec. 11 in the deaths of Blake Lane and Wade Cumpston. Lane, 20, was killed atop a Mount Prospect electrical tower in 1999 on just his second day on the job. Cumpston, 43, was killed in a Plainfield accident in 2000. The judge said the men did not qualify as employees of MYR Group under the law, and therefore the parent company could not be accused of failing to properly train them. "The accidental deaths of Lane and Cumpston were tragic," Brown said. "However, a criminal charge must have a foundation in law establishing criminal responsibility." U.S. attorney spokesman Randall Samborn said the office is reviewing the decision and will likely appeal. L.E. Myers faces fines of up to $2 million if convicted.
Electrician suffers burns in accident at refinery By PHIL HERMANEK Peninsula Clarion A Kenai man was in satisfactory condition at the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle Monday where he was taken after being burned in an industrial accident Saturday. David Ramsey, a Tesoro electrician, suffered second- and third-degree burns to his right arm while doing electrical maintenance work at the company's Nikiski refinery Saturday morning. Ramsey was performing turnaround maintenance work on electrical switch gear that had been de-energized, according to refinery manager Rodney Cason. Dust from the cleaning procedure, however, apparently flashed when it came into contact with a nearby switch that still had electricity going to it. Ramsey, who was wearing leather gloves and fire retardant clothing, suffered second-degree burns to his forearm and third-degree burns to his elbow through the protective clothing. He was given immediate first-aid care at the scene and taken by Nikiski Fire Department ambulance to Central Peninsula General Hospital. From there, he was flown to the Burn Care and Plastic Surgery Clinic of Harborview for additional care. Cason said he spoke to Ramsey Monday and the Tesoro employee "is doing really well." "He said he wants to get back and get golfing," Cason said.
Cement Worker Electrocuted In Suffolk (AP) - A construction worker was killed on the job Wednesday when a hydraulic pump struck a high-voltage power line in Suffolk. Fire department spokesman Jim Judkins identified the victim as 37-year-old Keith Withrow of Virginia Beach. He says another construction worker - 57-year-old Benjamin Porter of Virginia Beach - was injured in the accident and was taken to a local hospital. Judkins said the two men were working for a cement subcontractor and pouring a foundation for a duplex when the pump struck a 20,000-volt power line just after 5:00pm. He says a co-worker performed CPR on Withrow, but could not revive him. Dominion Virginia Power officials are investigating the accident.
Hopkinsville Electric System lineman electrocuted By SCOTT BURNSIDE An accident at a Hopkinsville Electric System work site today resulted in the death of one lineman and sent another to Jennie Stuart Medical Center, officials said. Christian County Coroner Dorris Lamb said Joe Wayne Holland, 37, of Cox Mill Road, was killed in the incident, which occurred while he on the job at Fourth Street and Linda Court shortly before 8 a.m. Firefighter Steve Futrell, public information officer for the Hopkinsville Fire Department, one of the emergency agencies dispatched to the scene, said Holland was working on some power lines at the time of the accident. A co–worker, Devin Thomas, no age or address available, was taken to the hospital, according to HES manager Austin Carroll, but only to make sure he didn't suffer any injuries in the accident. "Efforts were made to resuscitate him at the scene and later at the hospital," Futrell said. Lamb said he pronounced Holland dead in the hospital's emergency room at 8:26 a.m. The cause of death was ruled "electrocution," according to the coroner. Carroll said Holland and Thomas were working on new utility poles on Fourth Street, which had recently been put up. Holland was the senior lineman on the two–man HES crew. The accident was a rare tragedy for HES, he noted. "There has not been a serious injury or fatality since I've been here in the last 17 years," Carroll said. He added that HES last suffered a fatality on the job sometime back in the 1960s, and it also involved a lineman. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Joe's family," Carroll said. Carroll said both Holland and Thomas were "journeymen linemen," which is the designation for the most experienced employees in that particular job. According to Carroll, HES is investigating the circumstances of the accident. Carroll said Holland was the only one in the HES truck bucket at the time of the accident. He declined to release additional details, pending the completion of the investigation.
Transformer Blast Forces Partial Evacuation Of School; Cuts Power To Thousands In Hollywood UPDATED: 12:49 p.m. PDT April 23, 2003 HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- A transformer explosion cut power to nearly 17,000 utility customers in Hollywood on Wednesday, forcing partial evacuation of an elementary school. No one was injured in the blast shortly before 8:30 a.m. at a city Department of Water and Power distribution substation at Vine and Romaine streets. The cause was under investigation, Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells said. The nearby school was partially evacuated while smoke wafted out of the substation, Wells said. Students were initially sent to the south end of the school's campus, according to NBC4. DWP spokeswoman Darlene Battle could not estimate how long the power outage would last or how much damage was caused by the blast. The substation has a minimal staff, she said. The Vine Street Children's Center was also evacuated. Seventy-four children -- ages 3, 4 and 5 -- and 10 adults were evacuated. Parents can come to Vine Elementary school to pick up students, although school is still the in session, the principal said. No one was injured, authorities said. One woman said she saw "dark, thick, black smoke ... Everybody was choking."
Shocked, trapped 50 feet over Dover By Michael Daigle, Daily Record A worker for a billboard company was in critical condition on Monday after an aluminum ladder he was using apparently touched an NJ Transit power line carrying 28,000 volts, Dover police said. The accident occurred at about 11:30 a.m., Detective Steven Brennan said, when 52-year-old Herbert Tennant of Orange suffered an electric shock while working on a Viacom billboard just west of the Traveler's Diner on Route 46. The lighted billboard is about 50 feet above the NJ Transit rails and about 15 feet from the high-tension power line. The accident shut down rail traffic for about an hour and vehicular traffic on Route 46 in both directions for about 90 minutes. Brennan said people in the area heard a pop and NJ Transit recorded a power spike at about 11:29 a.m. Police were called by a homeless man who lives under the bridge, he said. Tennant was flown by helicopter to St. Barnabas Medical Center's burn unit in Livingston, Brennan said. Police were told that he was in critical condition. Information from the hospital was not available. Police had not been able to interview Tennant by late afternoon, Brennan said. Tennant was working alone at the time and was found on a platform attached to the billboard. Brennan said Tennant was conscious and was able to place a 45-second cell phone call to his office. Firefighters extinguished a small brush fire at the base of the pillar that supports the billboard. Brennan said it was unclear Monday how the ladder came into contact with the power line, but that the line did show a burned spot. Viacom officials told Brennan that the ladder is kept on the platform so workers do not have to raise and lower it while working on the billboard. Viacom officials were unavailable late Monday. Police and fire crews from Wharton arrived to assist Dover. Picatinny Arsenal provided a ladder truck when it was determined that Wharton's ladder truck could not be used. Brennan said the ladder on Wharton's truck could not be extended at an angle flat enough to allow Tennant to be carried on a stretcher from the billboard platform to the highway, about 25 feet.
Man hurt in Plas-Pak blast By FRANCIS McCABE Special to the Bulletin NORWICH -- A worker lay in critical condition Friday after an explosion at Plas-Pak Industries Inc. in the Norwich Industrial Park. An electrical short that occurred when a maintenance worker, Richard Couture, 48, of Thompson tried to change a circuit breaker caused the explosion, Yantic Fire Department Deputy Chief Ray O'Connell said. Couture was electrocuted with 480 volts and suffered serious burns as a result of the explosion, O'Connell said. And according to a Norwich fire official Couture may not have had the proper license to be repairing electrical equipment. Couture was rushed to The William W. Backus Hospital and then transported to the burn unit at Bridgeport Hospital for further treatment. "I heard a big bang and then everyone yelled 'get out of here,'" Claudette Deshamps of Norwich said. Deshamps has worked at Plas-Pak for four years, "It rocked the whole building," Dr. James Petrelli of the Concentra Medical Center, next to Plas-Pak, said. Petrelli said Couture walked into the medical center after the explosion and Petrelli helped him until emergency services arrived. Couture suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns on his hands and head, Petrelli said. "He walked in under his own power. He was alert and orientated. His hands were badly burned and his hair was singed," Petrelli said. He said it was clear Couture had been electrocuted. Workers gathered outside the plant and were soon told to go home. Plant officials told them to listen to the radio to see if they would be able to come back to work Monday. Concentra Medical Center also was closed following the explosion. Norwich Fire Marshal Dan Cote said an electrical license is required of employees who do electrical work in an industrial setting. Cote said Couture tried to change a breaker and inadvertently crossed positive and negative wires, which resulted in his electrocution and the explosion. Worker unlicensed "I believe the employee didn't have that license," Cote said. Cote said he expects state and federal OSHA authorities to investigate the incident. Karim Gittens, the purchasing manager and safety director of Plas-Pak, said he did not know whether the injured employee had the proper licenses to work on electrical equipment. He also said he did not know when the plant might reopen. "Right now one of our employees is hurt and that is our number one concern. Our best wishes and prayers are with him and his family," Gittens said. He said private electrical contractors were being contacted to make the necessary repairs to building. O'Connell said the breaker had a charge of 480 volts of electricity. According to O'Connell, the short resulted in an explosion that blew the circuit box across the room and filled the room with heavy smoke. O'Connell said the first firefighters on the scene brought the fire under control, but they called in a second alarm as a precaution. Plas-Pak produces plastic parts and has been operating in Norwich since 1985.
Man electrocuted while repairing U.S. flag BY DAVID OVALLE A worker repairing a U.S. flag damaged in last week's tornado was electrocuted to death Thursday afternoon. The man, in his late 50s, was atop Potamkin's repair shop at 8301 NW Seventh Avenue, overlooking Interstate 95, when he was struck by more than 7,000 volts of electricity. Police would not identify the man, pending notification of his death to family members. But Florida Power & Light said he was an employee of the Fort Lauderdale-based Frank Harris Display. The man and another worker from the flag company were trying to straighten out the U.S. flag, which had been bent backward during the freak tornado that swept across the area last week, Miami-Dade police said. The metal flag pole, one of about 30 that line the building, was underneath an electric power line. ''Because of the depth of perception, they thought the flag was above the wire,'' one investigator said. ``But the pole was under the wire.'' The man was given CPR on the scene, according to Potamkin worker Andy Cruz, but was pronounced dead at North Shore Medical Center. Harris Display and Potamkin managers declined to comment.
UPDATE Bayview-Wellington Homes (Port Union) Inc. fined $400,000 for health and safety violations TORONTO, April 1 /CNW/ - Bayview-Wellington Homes (Port Union) Inc., a Concord, Ont.-based residential construction company, was fined $400,000 on March 27, 2003 for two violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted in the death of a young worker at a townhouse development in Toronto's east end. On November 23, 1999, a worker was moving a 7.3-metre-high (24-foot) aluminum extension ladder from one townhouse to another when the ladder came in contact with live 13,800-volt overhead power lines. The lowest of the power lines was 6.4 metres (21 feet) off the ground and about 4.9 metres (16 feet) away from the front of the two-storey townhouses. The worker received an electrical shock and died three days later at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. The incident occurred at a townhouse construction project in the 5400-block of Lawrence Avenue East in Scarborough. The townhouses were being developed by Bayview-Wellington Homes (Port Union) Inc., which had subcontracted the eavestrough work to an aluminum company, which, in turn, had subcontracted the work to another aluminum company, which employed the deceased worker. Following a trial, Bayview-Wellington Homes (Port Union) Inc. was found guilty, as a constructor, of: 1. Failing to ensure the ladder was not brought within three metres (9.8 feet) of an energized overhead electrical conductor rated between 750 to 150,000 volts, as required by Section 186(1) of the regulations for Construction Projects. This was contrary to Section 23(1)(a) of the act; and 2. Failing to ensure the worker was not endangered by electrical shock from overhead electrical conductors and that the conductors located adjacent to the construction project were covered or otherwise made safe for workers. This was contrary to Section 23(1)(c) of the act. Justice of the Peace Stephen Waisberg, of the Ontario Court of Justice at old City Hall in Toronto, fined the company $200,000 on each count. In addition, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act.
Chunnel engineer electrocuted femail.co.uk - 30th March 2003 An investigation has been launched after an engineer working on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link was apparently electrocuted by overhead power cables. The man, who has not been named, was killed on Friday evening while working on the rail infrastructure for the link a few miles from the tunnel entrance in Folkestone, Kent. A spokesman for the project said a full internal investigation had been launched alongside a separate probe carried out by the Health and Safety Executive. He said the man was working with a small team of contractors who were involved in fitting the new line with railway equipment, including overhead power lines. It is the first death to occur during the construction of the link, the initial section of which is due to open from Gravesend to Folkestone later this year.
Electrical Accident Kills Man (Shelbyville, Tennessee-AP) - March 28, 2003 — One worker has been killed and another from Pittsburgh critically hurt in an electrical accident in Shelbyville, Tennessee. The name of the person killed hasn't been released. Witnesses have told the Shelbyville Times-Gazette that a crew was working on a utility pole at a Wendy's restaurant late yesterday afternoon when it touched a high-voltage line. The crew was from Superior Incorporated in Hermitage, Tennessee. Company President Tim Hill identified the injured worker as Paul Belcastro of Pittsburgh. Belcastro is in critical, but stable condition this afternoon in the burn unit of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. orkers Brandon Cruse of Nashville and Tim Birdsell of Indianapolis were treated at the Bedford County Medical Center and released.
Consumers Energy worker sustains burns HILLSDALE - A Consumers Energy employee was badly burned Monday when he came into contact with a power line. Roger Lamb of Hillsdale was removing an old power unit in an oil field on Sterling Road when part of the pole fell on him. According to his father, Mr. Lamb suffered severe burns on his left arm and back. A second employee working with Mr. Lamb at the time was able to get him down from the elevated bucket he was in and summon help. Mr. Lamb was taken to Hillsdale Community Health Center and then by air ambulance to Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo. According to Mr. Lamb’s father, doctors operated on him Tuesday to restore blood flow to his left arm.
SP farm laborer electrocuted when aluminum ladder hits power line By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula News Published on: March 26, 2003 A Santa Paula farm laborer was electrocuted on Tuesday morning when an aluminum ladder he was using to pick avocados at a hillside orchard fell onto a live electrical power line. Francisco Menchaca, 36, was working in an orchard on Pitch Drive in the Moorpark area when the accident occurred, according to Sr. Deputy Craig Stevens of the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office. Menchaca had been working alone and other workers found his body on the ground shortly before 11 a.m. Menchaca was repositioning the aluminum ladder around some trees on a hillside, which could account for how the 16-foot ladder reached the live electrical power line down from where he was working, noted Stevens. After Menchaca was found he was transported by a medical response helicopter to Los Robles Regional Medical in Thousand Oaks where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Menchaca has family in Mexico that was notified of his death. On Thursday, Sr. Deputy Medical Examiner Mitch Breese confirmed that an autopsy showed the Menchaca had died due to electrocution, “an accident. . .” while working at White Ranch. It is unclear how long Menchaca had lived in Santa Paula and whether he was a day laborer or ranch employee. Investigators from the state Division of Occupational Safety & Health Agency (OSHA) are looking into the death.
Worker electrocuted after hitting power line Associated Press Published March 21, 2003 ELEC22 KENOSHA, Wis. -- A man was electrocuted and a co-worker was hurt when they hit a buried power line while sinking a well. The 20-year-old Union Grove man was operating equipment for Hoover Well Drilling Co. Inc. when the gear touched the 4,800-volt power line Thursday morning in Trevor, authorities said. His name was not released. A 28-year-old co-worker suffered a shock while trying to help the victim. The co-worker was hospitalized in satisfactory condition late Thursday.
UPDATE OSHA Cites Sea Island Landscaper for Exposing Workers to Electrical Hazards; Agency plans compliance assistance program to prevent electrocutions SAVANNAH, Ga. -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Sea Island Company, Inc., for failure to protect workers from electrical hazards that contributed to a worker's death. OSHA is proposing a $63,000 penalty. On Sept. 18, the day of the accident, employees were using a truck crane to remove and replace trees located near overhead power lines. The truck's crane was positioned near the 7,200-volt lines. While lifting one of the trees into place, wire mesh around the roots of the tree came in contact with the power lines, transmitting an electrical current down to a worker who was standing near the base of the crane. The worker was seriously injured by the ensuing electrical shock. He died Oct. 14. The agency issued one willful citation to Sea Island Company, Inc., a grounds-maintenance and land development company, for allowing the crane to be operated near energized overhead power lines without taking any type of protective measures. "If the employer had positioned the crane away from the power lines or had the power company de-energize the nearby lines, this tragedy could have been avoided," stated John Deifer, OSHA's Savannah area director. Because electrocutions and shocks are a major cause of accidents in the Southeast, the agency is developing a program to address the hazards, including those associated with overhead power lines. The program will include training, outreach and compliance assistance, as well as strong and fair enforcement when employers expose workers to these dangerous conditions. The company has 15 working days to contest the OSHA citations and proposed penalties before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The inspection of the work site was conducted by OSHA's Savannah area office at 450 Mall Blvd., Suite J; phone: (912) 652-4393. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is dedicated to saving lives, preventing injuries and illnesses, and protecting America's workers. Safety and health add value to business, the workplace and life. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
Construction Worker Electrocuted Lake Milton Gerry Ricciutti A North Lima man is dead, following an accident in a highway construction zone. State troopers say 37-year-old Peter DeLucia, Jr. was killed Wednesday morning along Interstate 76 near Lake Milton. Investigators say the victim was part of a construction crew working on a paving project on the interstate. He reportedly was moving concrete barricades with the help of a crane, when the crane came into contact with power lines overhead, electrocuting DeLucia.
Orchard accident kills county avocado picker By staff reports March 19, 2003 A farm worker from Santa Paula was electrocuted Tuesday morning when an aluminum ladder he was using while picking avocados hit a live electric wire. Francisco Menchaca, 36, was picking fruit on an avocado ranch on Hitch Road in the Moorpark area when the accident occurred, said Craig Stevens, an investigator in the Ventura County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office. "At this point we aren't sure of the time of death," Stevens said. "Some of the other workers found his body on the ground, and they didn't know how long he had been dead." Menchaca was maneuvering the ladder around some trees on a hillside, which could account for how the ladder reached the wires, Stevens said. The death was determined to be accidental, but an autopsy will be performed today to confirm death by electrocution, Stevens said.
Power line burns Lakeport man while he's pruning walnut trees Associated Press Lakeport - -- A Lakeport man was seriously burned when a pruning tower he was working in touched a power line. Officials say Benito Moreno suffered severe burns to his upper body after the accident yesterday. Investigators say Moreno had been trimming walnut trees from a pruning tower lift at a height of about 25 feet when the lift hit a 12,000 volt high-tension line. The electricity set Moreno's clothes on fire -- but he managed to lower himself to the ground and roll around to put out the flames. A co-worker helped extinguish the fire and Moreno was taken by air ambulance to U-C Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. Moreno was listed in critical condition with burns to his upper body, face and left arm.
Accident Shuts Down Portion Of Ridge Avenue Reported by: 9News Web produced by: Liz Foreman Last updated: 3/11/03 11:55:52 AM There's a bit of a mess at the intersection of Ridge and Highland in Columbia Township Tuesday afternoon. The boom on a construction truck hit wires overhead Tuesday morning, leaving the power lines hanging only four feet off the ground. The truck is used to transport bricks. The owner's name was not made available. Police are redirecting traffic in the area and Ridge Avenue is closed heading south at the intersection.
UPDATE Short circuit tied to electrocution death DAVE SHELTON SPRING HILL - Investigators found a short circuit that probably caused a 20-year-old man to be electrocuted Thursday.Christopher S. Krivjansky apparently died after touching a metal air line that, because of the short circuit, was carrying 230 volts of electricity. Although the state medical examiner hasn't yet reported on the cause of death, paramedics said there were burn marks on his hand and shoulder that could indicate electrocution. Krivjansky, an employee of Pasco Preventive Maintenance, and another man had finished working on an air compressor in a shed outside of Gator Door and Supply, 16020 Aviation Loop in the Airport Industrial Park. The other man, David Kachiroubas, 18, said they had not done any electrical work, just serviced an oil filter in the compressor that produces air used by pneumatic tools in the factory that builds doors. Kachiroubas said they had finished their work and he carried tools back to their company pickup truck shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday, expecting Krivjansky to follow. WWhen his partner didn't show up at the truck, Kachiroubas went back to the shed where he found the victim unconscious and not breathing.Krivjansky was still grasping a metal air tube fastened to the wall, Kachiroubas said. When he turned Krivjansky over, he said, he felt a mild electrical charge coming from the victim's body. He ran for help and Gator employees tried to revive Krivjansky before paramedics arrived. While rescuers applied cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, he was rushed to Brooksville Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:20 p.m. County building inspectors were called to the factory to make sure it was safe for workers. They found an electrical charge in the metal air line. Nearby was a melted electrical nut and a plastic cap used to splice two wires together. All electricity to this power line was disconnected for worker's safety. The incident is under investigation by the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
WORKERS `WARNED' OF DANGER Mar 8 2003 TWO workmen were warned of dangerous overhead power lines days before being electrocuted, a fatal accident inquiry heard yesterday. Inverclyde Council worker Ronald Cook said he told Gary Moncrieff, 22, and Ross Cockburn, 32, to halt their job as he drove past the work site in Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire. Five days later, the men died when a street light they were replacing hit the lines. Mr Cook said he told the men - subcontracted through Lightways of Larbert, Stirlingshire - "to beware". But Lightways boss Gary McLaughlin criticised him for not telling the firm in writing, as was his "responsibility". The council deny negligence. The Greenock Sheriff Court hearing continues.
Spring Hill man electrocuted on job By JENNIFER LIBERTO St. Petersburg Times published March 7, 2003 BROOKSVILLE -- A 19-year-old Spring Hill man was electrocuted Thursday afternoon after working on an air compressor at Gator Door & Supply Co. in the Airport Industrial Park. Chris Krivjansky of 13140 Cooper Road worked for Pasco Preventive Maintenance Inc. of Hudson, a company hired to tune up an air compressor, Hernando County Sheriff's Office spokesman Joe Paez said. Krivjansky and co-worker David Kachiroubas had nearly finished their work about 1:30 p.m., Paez said. They were checking the air compressor, which fuels air tools used in assembling doors, Gator Door general manager Andrew Fischer said. Kachiroubas left the wooden shed, where the compressor is located, to load a pickup truck, Paez said. When Kachiroubas returned, he saw Krivjansky on the ground. Krivjansky had burns on him and wasn't breathing, paramedics said. He was taken to Brooksville Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, sheriff's deputies said. The Sheriff's Office and county building officials are investigating how Krivjansky as electrocuted. The cause may have been an electrical short, Fischer said. The Medical Examiner's Office also is investigating to determine the cause of death. Pasco Preventive Maintenance Inc. declined comment. Kachiroubas didn't return calls. Gator Door & Supply Co, 16020 Aviation Loop, has been at the industrial park for 20 years, Fischer said.
Roofer shocked, airlifted to hospital Thursday, March 06, 2003 By NICK FALSONE The Express-Times HELLERTOWN -- Emergency crews pulled an injured worker off a roof Wednesday afternoon after he received a shock from coming in contact with a power wire, authorities said. The worker, a male who authorities at the scene declined to identify, was flown by helicopter to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township. There he received treatment for burns suffered as a result of the shock, authorities said. The rescue happened shortly after 2:30 p.m. on the roof of Rustic Exteriors, 631 Front St. Crews used an aerial ladder on a firetruck to get to the roof. Shortly before 3 p.m., a crowd of close to 30 people watched the rescue unfold. More than a half-dozen emergency workers on the roof used a backboard to move the injured worker. They placed him in the bucket of the aerial ladder and lowered it to the ground. The injured worker was carried to a stretcher and driven by ambulance to the nearby helicopter. Tony Branco, a supervisor for Dewey EMS, said the worker was laying metal sheeting on the roof when he lifted a piece of it. The sheeting touched a power line running above the roof, and the contact shocked the worker, Branco said. The rescue took awhile, partly because the conditions on top of the roof were dangerous, Branco said. The sheeting was slippery, and a portion of the roof was only covered with wood studding, he said. The worker remained conscious during the whole rescue, Branco said. "He suffered a couple severe burns," he said. "He was in good spirits." He was flown to the hospital as a precaution because of the unusual length of time it took for the rescue, Branco said. In addition to Dewey EMS, Bethlehem Fire Department, Bethlehem Volunteer Fire Co., Dewey Fire Co. and the Hellertown Police Department assisted in the rescue.
UPDATE Burned Dam Worker In Critical Condition A 22-year-old Arkansas man was in critical condition Wednesday, a day after he was burned by electricity. Manuel Salazar was hurt about 11 a.m. Tuesday after the crane he was standing near hit a 115,000-volt line at the construction site of a backup dam at Lake Murray. Another worker had first-degree burns on his hand after trying to help Salazar, officials said. The state Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating, said Jim Knight, spokesman for Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The state OSHA department is part of LLR. OSHA, which is not required to investigate when only one person is hurt, stepped in because of the seriousness of Salazar's condition, Knight said. Salazar was flown to the burn unit at Doctor's Hospital in Augusta with second- and third-degree burns on 40 percent of his body, officials said. Salazar works for H.B. Mellott Estate Inc. of Pennsylvania, said Brian Duncan, SCE&G spokesman. The company is a subcontractor of Barnard Construction, overseeing the building of the backup dam. The $275 million construction began last month and is expected to be done in 2004. Construction resumed Wednesday after a safety meeting with work crews, SCE&G officials said.
Water Gas and Light worker injured on job March 6, 2003 Albany--An Albany Water Gas and Light employee was badly burned in an accident Thursday morning. The W.G.L. worker was trying to put a temporary water tap on the line into the Bridge House on Front Street. At 9:50, he cut into a power line. Miraculously, he was not electrocuted. The 35 year old worker was in this hole with two other employees, cutting into the water line, when he hit the main feeder line that powers Downtown Albany. That line carries 12 thousand volts. Eyewitness Ken Cribb said "I heard an explosion. That was when I started making my way back over here to see what was going on. As I was coming closer it exploded a second time. That's when I saw the guys coming out of the hole, taking the other guy to the hospital." He was not electrocuted, but his gas powered saw burst into flames. You can see the damage. The employee suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his arms and face. W.G.L. spokesperson Lorie Farkas said "When I got to the hospital, he was awake, he was lucid, and his concern was for his family. He was telling them to relax, that he was going to be all right." The employee has been transported to the Augusta Burn Unit for treatment. An investigation into the accident is continuing. The other two W-G-and-L Employees in the hole at the time of the accident were not injured.
Three electrocuted Herald Reporter THREE Harare men were yesterday electrocuted in separate incidents. Two of the three victims had been contracted to repair an electric motor pump in Chadcombe. They were electrocuted when one of them tried to clean the pump with a wet cloth. The other man was also electrocuted when he touched his colleague who had called for help. They both died on the spot. It is believed the third man was electrocuted when he tried to tamper with a Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority transformer in Hatfield. He was found dead by the side of the dismantled transformer in the afternoon. Zesa authorities, called to the scene of accident by police, suspected the 26-year-old man died of electrocution after discovering severe burns on both his hands and the face.
Accident involving crane, high-voltage wire halts work at Lake Murray By LORA HINES Staff Writer Work at the Lake Murray dam stopped Tuesday when a construction worker suffered a severe electrical burn after a crane hit a high-voltage line. The 22-year-old worker, who was not immediately identified, was burned about 11 a.m. after the crane he was standing near hit a 115,000-volt line, officials said. The man was in critical condition Tuesday night at Doctor's Hospital burn unit in Augusta, South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. spokesman Robin Montgomery said. Another worker suffered first-degree burns to his hands when he tried to help his burned co-worker, Lexington Emergency Medical Service supervisor Stuart Platt said. The man with the burned hands was treated at the scene. The man inside the crane was not hurt. The severely injured man, who had burns on his left chest and back, plus both arms and legs, was flown to Augusta from the dam's Saluda River side, where he was working, Platt said. The man works for Melott, a subcontractor, Montgomery said. He didn't immediately have information about the company. The construction crew stopped work for the rest of the day. It was unclear Tuesday night whether construction would resume today, Montgomery said. It's not unusual for people who stand near an object that's been energized with electricity to get burned, Assistant Lexington County Fire Chief Brian Hood said. "That's why we tell people not to stand under a tree in a storm. Electricity is looking for the closest and best pathway to the ground." The electricity that hit the crane probably arced and hit the man who was standing nearby, Hood said. "You have to remember that the arc is several thousands of degrees." The man who was inside the crane probably was safest, Hood said. "If you're in a car accident and you hit a live wire or pole, you want to stay inside the car," he said. "People get hurt when they try to get out and put their foot on the ground." Last month, as many as 90 people started building a backup dam at Lake Murray, Montgomery said. Construction started on opposite ends of the dam, moving toward the center. Work can occur simultaneously in two sections as long as those areas are at least 1,000 feet apart. But plans limit initial work to single sections for nearly half the wall, particularly those at the middle, where water pressure is highest. Construction is to be finished in 2004. The project will cost $275 million.
Worker dies after power blast THURSDAY , 06 MARCH 2003 By HAYDON DEWES and HANNAH LAWRENCE One man died and another faces several months in hospital after being severely injured in a Lower Hutt sub-station explosion so intense that it vaporised their clothing. The two Alstom electrical services employees suffered serious burns while working on 11,000-volt electrical switchgear at the Haywards Hill sub-station about 9am yesterday, company spokeswoman Nancy McConnell said. They were taken to Hutt Hospital in a critical condition. A 22-year-old man died in the intensive care unit last night after suffering burns to 92 per cent of his body. The other man, aged 26, had burns to 75 per cent of his body and was in surgery for about five hours. Hospital spokesman Rob Eaddy said the man was transferred to Waikato Hospital last night to be put on a long-term ventilator. He is expected to be in hospital for several months and will have to undergo many operations. A plastic surgeon at the hospital said the flames from the electric flash generated an intense heat. Though the men were only subjected to the flames for a short period, it was enough to vaporise their clothes and severely burn them. Immediate health concerns included dehydration and respiratory problems, the surgeon said. "They begin to swell up a huge amount, which can obstruct their airways. Then you have to give them a lot of fluid because they leak a huge amount of fluid, litres and litres." Three other men were taken to Hutt Hospital where they were treated and discharged, Ms McConnell said. One had gone to help his badly burned workmates and suffered minor burns. Two others were treated for traumatic shock. "Alstom expresses its deepest sympathies for those involved in the accident and is doing everything to assist them, their families and fellow workmates," Ms McConnell said. The company has begun a full-scale investigation. Transpower, which owns and operates the national grid, has appointed an independent expert to conduct a full investigation. Transpower spokesman Chris Roberts said the switchgear had been isolated and Alstom had suspended all non-essential work at the sub-station. The Occupational Safety and Health Service and the Economic Development Ministry were both notified immediately by Alstom. Senior station officer Phil Donnelly, from Trentham fire brigade, said the cause of the serious explosion was not known and was being investigated by Osh. There was no major fire after the explosion, but pressure fans were used to blow out smoke. "No real firefighting was required," Mr Donnelly said. Electricity supplies in the area were not affected by the explosion.
Contractor fined $15,000 in Wheelan mishap By LINDA RICHARDSON, The Sault Star Saturday, March 01, 2003 - 09:00 Local News - Lewis Wheelan’s employer was fined $15,000 in connection with an industrial accident that left the young man a triple amputee. Michael Piccolo, owner of Neat Site Vegetation, pleaded guilty earlier this week to two charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The first offence was for failing to take reasonable precautions for the protection of a worker — failing to ensure guy ropes were used to control the direction of a tree’s fall. The second was for failing to provide information, instruction and supervision to protect the health and safety of a worker. Piccolo was fined $7,500 on each count. Wheelan, who was 19 at the time of the May 30, 2001, accident, sustained major high-voltage electrical burns to 55-to-60 -per-cent of his body. As a result of the accident, which occurred on his second day on the job, the Sir James Dunn graduate had both of his legs, his right arm and shoulder and one finger on his left hand amputated. A summer worker, Wheelan was retrieving brush for the contractor east of Sault Ste. Marie when a tree crashed into a power line and injured him. Piccolo’s company was under contract to Great Lakes Power Ltd. to cut trees and clear brush near a hydro distribution line. In agreed-to facts provided to the court, the judge heard another crewman, Brian Campbell, notched and back cut a tree. When his chainsaw bar became pinched in the back cut, Campbell and another worker Gerald Buchanan attempted to push the tree over manually. They did not use guy ropes and were unable to control the direction of the tree’s fall and it hit the power line, which was energized and carrying 7,200 watts of electricity. Wheelan was clearing brush directly under the line, which came down on him, Ontario Court Justice James Greco heard. Piccolo put on protective rubber gloves and pulled Wheelan from beneath the line. After Wheelan’s smoking clothing was doused with water, Piccolo and Buchanan performed CPR until he was able to breath on his own. The court was told Wheelan had been given no information, instruction or supervision by his employer regarding the danger of working near an energized power line with trees being cut nearby. He was scheduled to attend a safety meeting later that week. Other individuals and GLP also face charges under the health and safety act. They are slated to appear in court at a later date. Among those charged are Mike McEwen, former GLP Ltd. president and chief executive officer, and two directors, who also serve as executive vice-presidents with Brascan, GLP’s parent company. The directors, Harry Goldgut and Edward Kress — both with Brascan Power — and McEwen, who retired last year, are each charged under a section of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that holds corporate leaders responsible for employee safety. Also charged are Steve McClinchey, the GLP supervisor that day; Brian Campbell, a crewman at the scene; and GLP corporation. Under the act, convictions for individuals can lead to a $25,000 fine or one year in jail, while corporations can be fined up to $500,000.
Rail worker electrocuted 26feb03 A 32-year-old rail contractor has died after receiving an 11,000 volt shock in Sydney's south. The man was working on the new Heathcote East railway overbridge when the accident occurred, a spokeswoman for the Rail Infrastructure Corporation (RIC) said. She was unable to give further details as the area had been declared a crime scene and was under investigation by WorkCover. Earlier, an ambulance spokesman said the accident occurred shortly before 10am (AEDT) when a crane touched overhead wires on Wilson Parade at Heathcote. The man immediately had a heart attack and was taken to Sutherland Hospital in a critical condition where he died a short time later. It was believed the man was working near the crane when it touched the wires.
Worker injured at church remains in hospital YORK COUNTY ROCK HILL -- A maintenance worker burned in an electrical flash Friday at Westminster Presbyterian Church is expected to remain at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta, Ga., for a month recovering from third degree burns, said Jimmy Bagley, a deacon at the church and the assistant director of utilities for the city of Rock Hill. The worker, whose name has not been released at the request of his family, was burned on his face and arms, Bagley said. He was working in a small electrical closet in the church's multipurpose building when he touched a piece of metal to a part connected to electric current, causing a flash, Bagley said. The heat of the flash injured the worker. The force of the flash threw the man into a hallway, where he called for help, Bagley said. The man, who is also a member of the church, has worked at Westminster Presbyterian for four years, Bagley said. -- MARTY MINCHIN
Electrical worker injured at mall Tuesday, February 25, 2003 By STEPHANIE HOOPER, Telegraph Staff NASHUA – An electrical worker was injured Monday night when wiring in a panel at the Pheasant Lane Mall arced while he was servicing it. Firefighters responded to the mall about 6:30 p.m. after receiving a report of an explosion in the mall’s service room between J.C. Penney and Macy’s department store. The man was taken to St. Joseph Hospital with injuries to his face and left arm, said Deputy Chief Michael O’Brien. O’Brien declined to give the man’s name and his condition was unknown at press time. Shortly after the man was taken by ambulance to the hospital, firefighters, who were still on the scene, were called back into the service area to put out a small fire that started after another electrical worker attempted to fix the same panel, O’Brien said. That worker was not injured, O’Brien said. He said the damage caused by the short in the panel probably caused it to catch fire when the second electrician attempted to service it the second time. Firefighters were left on standby while the electrician continued to assess the problem. Public Service of New Hampshire officials were then called to the scene as a safety precaution in case power to the mall needed to be cut, O’Brien said “We are talking about an awful lot of power here,” O’Brien said. The electrical short caused power failures throughout the mall, shutting down lights, elevators and even some stores. Workers in the mall said power was first lost on one side of mall, then the middle. Noah’s gift shop was without power after the incident. Officials at the mall said they were working on the problem but would not comment further.
Man electrocuted at piggery 22feb03 A DANISH man was killed after suffering an electric shock at a piggery near Dalby, south-east Queensland. Ole Frederiksen, 34, was electrocuted just after 4.30pm (AEST) yesterday while repairing an electric water pump at a piggery at Jimbour, 40km north west of Dalby. Police said the man, who had an Australian working visa and was living at the piggery, died on the scene. He was found by fellow workers, who alerted authorities. Workplace health and safety officers and an electrical safety officer were investigating the incident. Police said Danish authorities had been notified.
City employee suffers from electrical burns A Shreveport city worker suffered severe burns Wednesday when he was electrocuted while trying to trim back trees in the 3200 block of Alabama. Oliver Patterson, 45, came in contact with a power line just after 10 a.m. while clearing trees from the power line, Shreveport Fire Department spokesman Brian Crawford said. Paramedics described Patterson's injuries as first- and second-degree burns on his hand and second and third degree burns on his elbow, Crawford said. His injuries were not considered life threatening, Crawford said. Patterson was taken to LSU Hospital in Shreveport for evaluation. He was listed in good condition late Wednesday.
Man injured from electric shock Last updated: Feb 18, 11:15 PM DAYTONA BEACH SHORES -- A 53-year-old Port Orange man was seriously injured Tuesday after getting an electrical shock while working on a drainage project on South Peninsula Drive, emergency workers said. Pedro Soto was standing on wet ground when the accident occurred at 3:26 p.m., just west of city limits near Van Avenue. R.A. Scott Construction officials said Soto, a popular crew member who has worked for them about four years, was helping put a steel well point into the soggy earth when he was knocked unconscious by an electric jolt. The well point was being used to drain water from the site so work on sewer lines and water mains could proceed along what construction officials called a $3 million project between Oceans Boulevard West and Dunlawton Avenue. The electrocution occurred when the arm of an excavator attached to the equipment Soto was guiding came close to overhead electric lines, creating an arc, construction officials said. Soto's breathing and heartbeat were stopped by the 3- to 4-second shock, rescue officials said. Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety officers and EVAC paramedics used a defibrillator to restore Soto's heartbeat and breathing before he was taken to Halifax Medical Center. He was unconscious on arrival and was being treated in the emergency room late Tuesday night. "It's upsetting," said Gary Hurst, 48, who was operating the Volvo excavator when Soto fell. "I hope he'll be OK." -- Jay Stapleton
Dublin man electrocuted in building site accident February 19, 2003 A 27-year-old Dublin man was electrocuted when machinery he was operating came in contact with overhead lines at a building site in Bray in County Wicklow. Gardaí and Health and Safety officers have examined the scene of the accident at Upper Dargle Road in Bray.
UPDATE Horror blast men died from burns Feb 19 2003 By John-Paul Ford Rojas, The Journal Three workers died from extensive burns after a massive explosion ripped through a North power plant as they carried out maintenance work, an inquest heard yesterday. One of the men, Andrew Sherwood, was thrown 40ft by the force of the blast at the Enron plant on Teesside. The 36-year-old from Hartlepool was pronounced dead at the scene by rescue workers, the inquest at Teesside Magistrates Court was told. Darren Higgins, 28, from Normanby, near Middlesbrough, was also found dead at the site. The third victim, father-of-one Lawrence Surtees, 40, from Hawthorn, County Durham, died at Middlesbrough General Hospital after suffering 90pc burns, Home Office pathologist Dr Peter Cooper confirmed all three had died as a result of extensive burns. A fourth man, Graeme White, sustained severe burns to his face and hands but later made a full recovery. The inquest heard the tragedy happened in August 2001 after staff worked on a giant electrical transformer at the 27-acre gas plant near Redcar. Site director Ian Clifford said the men had been trying to adjust the voltage on the transformer so that maintenance work could be carried out. This could not be done while it was switched on, he added, and the men's attempt to do so - following a meeting of senior staff - was what had caused the explosion. The mechanism short-circuited and became hot, causing oil within it to heat up and boil, Mr Clifford said. The blast caused a huge fireball to envelop the area, taking the top off the transformer and causing extensive damage to that part of the plant. Eleven fire engines raced to the scene where they quickly brought the blaze under control and tackled a number of other patches of burning oil around the transformer. The inquest, before an 11-member jury, is expected to last four days and the hearing will continue today.
Trooper Electrocuted By Downed Power Line; Trooper Was Responding To Crash February 14, 2003 FRANKLIN, Pa. -- A Pennsylvania State Police trooper was electrocuted early Friday morning by a downed power line as he investigated a traffic accident in Vanango County. State police said Trooper Brian Patterson, 36, died at UPMC Franklin Hospital. Patterson was a Tutusville, Crawford County, resident and had been a trooper for nearly 10 years. State police said Patterson responded to an accident in which a car hit a utility pole on Valley Road in Frenchcreek Township, Venango County. The crash left wires hanging near the ground. There is no word on the condition of the person or people in the other vehicle.
Accident Shocks and Kills Worker; Another Contractor is Hospitalized Clifton Heights- February 13, 2003 — A bizarre accident in Delaware county left one man dead Thursday morning. It happened just after 10:30 at 462 East Baltimore Avenue in Clifton Heights. 2 contractors were installing an aluminum liner for a chimney when they were shocked. One worker was on the roof feeding liner down the chimney to a second worker, when the liner came into contact with a 13-thousand volt power line. The worker inside the home was electrocuted. The second worker was shocked, and remains hospitalized. PECO crews were called out to the scene, they say the lines are in working order.
UPDATE OSHA fines company after death; Cebal America hit with $16,500 penalty after worker dies from burns. Friday, February 14, 2003 By TOM QUIGLEY The Express-Times WASHINGTON -- High-voltage electricity coursed through the overhead power system as Cebal America worker Ernest E. Meshach installed a switch on the morning of Monday, Jan. 20. Family members said a fireball erupted and Meshach suffered third-degree burns over 80 percent of his body. He died at the St. Barnabas Hospital burn center in Livingston on Tuesday. His death followed a three-week effort to fight off infections caused by the extensive burns, said his sister-in-law, Louise Meshach. The Oxford Township woman said Meshach's death on Tuesday could have been prevented if company officials had allowed him to shut off the electricity. "It was a senseless thing," she said. "All they had to do was shut it down for five minutes." It is not yet known what caused the electrical fire to erupt, a company spokeswoman said. But only a week after the accident, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted an inspection at the Route 31 plant in Washington. The federal agency found four of what it described as "serious" safety violations and imposed penalties totaling $16,500. "Sixteen thousand dollars is not enough for a human life," Louise Meshach said. The OSHA citations allege the company: ( Failed to cut the power to 480-watt electrical boxes to prevent accidental contact during electrical maintenance/service operations. ( Failed to provide employees with specific safety training related to electrical hazards. ( Failed to employ safety-related work practices to prevent electrical shock or other injuries resulting from direct or indirect contact with energized equipment. The third alleged violation cites specific failures of the company to provide required tools, protective equipment, proper use of a man-lift, a competent person to ensure the operation is set up properly, methods to de-energize and lock out equipment, live electrical testing where needed, meters for testing purposes, and uniform training for all exposed employees. ( Inspectors also charge the company failed to provide an eyewash facility in an area where workers check battery fluid levels. The company has the right to respond to the findings within 15 days of the notification date, said OSHA Assistant Area Director Ronald Frye. One of Warren County's top 10 employers, Cebal America currently employs 500 people. The company manufactures plastic and laminate tubes for cosmetics, dental products and pharmaceutical products. Cebal America parent company Pechiney Plastic Packaging Inc. purchased the plant when it acquired the former American National Can Co. in 1988. "At the time of the accident, Mr. Meshach was installing an electrical switch in preparation for new tube-making equipment at the plant," company spokeswoman Polly Moles said in a prepared statement. "An electrical fire started, and Mr. Meshach sustained severe burns," she added. Meshach, formerly of Lopatcong Township, was an electrical maintenance technician and had worked at the plant for 37 years, the spokeswoman said. "The company is continuing to investigate the accident and is making every effort to determine the cause," she wrote. "We have been helping the family through this difficult time, and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends." Authorities initially reported Meshach suffered an electrical shock. Family members described Meshach as a man who loved life. A former co-worker, Richard J. Heater of Washington, said he and Meshach were lifelong friends. In a letter to The Express-Times, Heater said his friend would still be alive if electrical power had been shut off that day. "The reason they won't turn the power off is because they would lose about 10 to 15 minutes of production on the other lines," he wrote. "This is very sad that a friend and fellow employee had to lose his life for a few dollars," Heater wrote. "This just shows what they think of our lives." Meshach was a member of the Promised Land Church of the Nazarene in Bethlehem.
UPDATE Man dies of work injury Thursday, February 13, 2003 By TOM QUIGLEY The Express-Times WASHINGTON -- The Cebal America Co. worker critically injured on the job last month has died. Ernest "Ernie" E. Meshach, 55, of Lopatcong Township suffered an electrical shock while working at the former American Can facility on Route 31. The Jan. 20 accident caused a mid-morning fire at the plant and Meshach was flown to the burn unit at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, where he died on Tuesday. Meshach, an electrician, worked at the plant for about 35 years. He and his wife Barbara would have celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary next month. A daughter, Renee, lives at home. White Township resident Leroy Meshach described his deceased brother as a man who cared about others. "You wouldn't want a better brother," he said. Leroy Meshach said his brother sometimes spent his vacation time doing volunteer work through his church, the Promised Land Church of the Nazarene in Bethlehem. That work included traveling to Native American reservations in places such as Oklahoma to help build homes for the people there, Leroy Meshach said. "He was an outdoorsman," Meshach said. "We used to go fishing and hunting together." He said family members are "taking it the best they can." Family members said he enjoyed shopping with his daughter and collecting Santa Claus statues, bottles and light houses. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Rupell Funeral Home in Phillipsburg. Calling hours are from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. until the time of the service on Saturday. Cebal America could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.
STORY OF INTEREST Settlement reached in student injury case By DOREEN OBERMEYER, Coolidge Examiner February 12, 2003 In January of 2001, a 15-year-old girl at Coolidge High School received a severe electrical shock while using a portable welder in an agriculture welding lab. Cameo Madewell was knocked off her feet and thrown a short distance after the electrical plug for the 220-volt welder she was using exploded in a wall socket. Attorneys for the girl's family said the district was responsible for creating unreasonably dangerous conditions which were not apparent to the student. Former voc ag teacher, Steve Sipes was also named in the suit, as the instructor in charge of the class. The claim stated that Sipes failed to properly train, instruct, supervise or warn the student of the dangers involved with the welding unit and area. The Madewells asked for damages for their daughter's bodily injury, pain and suffering, medical and other expenses. The attorney for the district and for Sipes claimed that the district was not negligent, and that in any case a statute of limitations applied since the suit was filed a full year after the incident. The defendants also claimed that the student was responsible for the mishap and that she knowingly assumed risk in using the equipment. Both parties agreed to mediation and they reached a settlement on Jan. 24 before Lawrence H. Fleischman. The Madewells also agreed to dismiss the lawsuit. The settlement amount was $18,000, according to attorneys for the district. After the accident, Madewell was airlifted to the burn and shock unit of Maricopa Medical Center for evaluation where she was released the following day. According to an incident report filed at the time, Sipes, reported hearing a loud pop before the power went out and then saw Madewell falling to the ground. She apparently suffered a seizure and lost consciousness for several minutes. A ground fault interrupt (GFI) breaker cut power to the entire block of classrooms in the Voc/Tech complex and possibly prevented the girl from being electrocuted. The class was an advanced agriculture class and the student had been trained on the equipment. Madewell was wearing the department's required safety gear at the time of the accident , including leather gloves, canvas apron, goggles and a welding mask. Sherrill Stevens, principal at CHS, said an electrical contractor , employed by the district, inspected the welder and the outlet after the incident and found no malfunctions.
Four electrocuted in Vietnam while installing TV antenna HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Four people were electrocuted and four others were injured when the television antenna pole they were installing crashed onto electric cables in southern Vietnam, an official said Tuesday. Three people - a sister, brother and a cousin - were killed instantly Monday, while another victim died later at a hospital. Two others remained hospitalized with minor burns, said Nguyen Ngoc Loi, head of the local Communist Party organization in Cao Lanh town, 150 kilometers (93 miles) southwest of Ho Chi Minh City. Loi said the accident occurred as the eight people were trying to erect a 13-meter (42.6-feet) water pipe to which the antenna had been attached. The pipe broke free and fell onto the electric lines. - APPioneer Electric
Employee Killed in Dallas County 02/10/2003 Stephen McLamb A Dallas County Electrical Cooperative worker is killed and two others are injured after A log Truck crashed into them while they were clearing A tree from A State Highway. Pioneer Electric and State Transportation workers were clearing off State Road 89 after A tree collapsed on the roadway taking out A powerline. With no flagmen present, 52 year old Julius Blackwell was struck and killed by an oncoming truck shortly after Ten a.m. The truck driver, Tiny Andrews and Reginald Grace, A State transportation worker, were both taken to A Camden hospital where they were treated and released. Troopers say the accident remains under investigation.
1 Dead, 2 Injured In I-10 Construction Accident; Workers Electrocuted By Power Line February 11, 2003 NEW ORLEANS -- One worker was killed and two others were hospitalized Tuesday morning after a construction accident on Interstate 10. The accident occurred at about 9:30 a.m. at I-10 and Richland. Police said three workers in a bucket truck were electrocuted when the truck accidentally came in contact with a live power line. The three were rushed to East Jefferson General Hospital, where one man died of his injuries. His name is being withheld pending notification of his family members. The condition and names of the other men have not yet been released. The workers were independent contractors out of Baton Rouge, police said.
Workers Hurt In Accident At PGI Tuesday, February 11, 2003 By JON SOLES Of The Record Staff An electrical circuit breaker box flashover at the PGI plant in Benson Monday, sending two workers to the hospital. But only one of the workers was injured and those injuries were minor, Director of Operations Rick Halpin said. Both workers were treated at Betsy Johnston Regional Hospital in Dunn and released, Mr. Halpin said. Company policy forbids the release of the workers’ names, Mr. Halpin said. The accident occurred around noon. According to Mr. Halpin, an electrical technician and another nearby worker were injured when a circuit breaker arced. An arc is an electrical discharge that jumps a gap between a circuit or between two electrodes. The electrical technician suffered first- and second-degree burns on his hands and was back home shortly after he was injured, Mr. Halpin said. The other worker returned to work after he was checked out at Betsy Johnson as a precaution, Mr. Halpin said. “One was treated and one was just reviewed and nothing was found in the least,” Mr. Halpin said. Mr. Halpin said PGI, which stands for Polymer Group Inc., was going to schedule a briefing with the workers to determine the cause of the electrical flashover. The accident happened in PGI’s Line A, which is a section for entangled fiber and pulp, Mr. Halpin said. Mr. Halpin compared the electrical arc to a spark created by crossing battery cables under the hood of a car. “I’m no electrical engineer, but it sounds like when you go from a hot wire to the ground and you make that connection,” Mr. Halpin said. The flashover did not affect company operations, Mr. Halpin said. The two workers were transported to the hospital by Benson Rescue. Benson and Dunn fire departments also responded to PGI, but there was no fire. PGI’s Benson plant employs about 319 corporate and plant-level workers. PGI employs about 40,000 people worldwide. Mr. Halpin said there were about 100 on duty Monday when the accident occurred.
Transfer Station Fire Investigators are looking for the cause of an overnight fire that destroyed the Madison County transfer station in the town of sullivan . The plant was nearly burned to the ground by the time firefighters were able to get there. The transfer station will remain closed, people who need to drop things off are being redirected to the town of Lincoln's transfer station.
UPDATE University of Maryland Cited for Safety Violations in Fatal Blast College Park - The University of Maryland has been cited for alleged state health and safety violations stemming from an electrical explosion that killed a campus employee back in October. Three employees were working on an electrical panel in the physics building when the blast happened on October 27th. Master electrician Kurt Tassche died from lung damage six days later. Two firefighters and a university police officer were also injured. Inspectors from the office of Maryland Occupational Safety and Health found that the workers wore flammable clothing and no eye protection. They also found that the room had inadequate exits and poor lighting. The university won't be fined because it's a government entity, but it will be ordered to correct any problems. College officials tell The Washington Post they're inspecting all campus electrical facilities and fixing any deficiencies.
UPDATE Company to pay $10,000 after worker seriously burnt Transfield Services Ltd was sentenced to pay $10,000 today after being prosecuted by the Occupational Safety and Health Service (OSH). The company was sentenced at the Auckland District Court after a worker suffered serious burns in an accident in the Epsom suburb last year. Transfield provides maintenance services to a third of the Auckland power distribution network owned by Vector Limited. “The victim was a live line mechanic carrying out maintenance work,” said John Forrest, OSH Service Manager, Auckland. “He suffered serious burns to his face and torso when an 11,000 volt flashover occurred. The worker experienced excruciating pain under his right armpit and his clothing ignited. “New Zealanders being injured and killed at work is simply unacceptable. In this instance the worker spent eight weeks in hospital.” The Court considered that the company had looked after the victim very well and had paid a total of $18,000 in advances to assist the victim. “There was inadequate supervision on site and this allowed a variation from the safe system of work. There should have been two levels of insulation during live line work at all times,” said Mr Forrest. “Variation from safe working procedures had occurred on numerous occasions in the past. “Everyone has the right to go to work and be safe. Companies must ensure that workplace hazards are identified and controlled correctly, and that their safety systems are constantly reviewed and updated.” Further information: John Forrest, Service Manager, Auckland, OSH Tel: 09 525 0268 Mobile: 027 201 9768
Bland Street manhole explosion breaks mini mall windows By: KATHY KISH of the Daily Telegraph staff February 05, 2003 Bluefield - An explosion from a manhole on Bland Street Tuesday shattered the front windows of the Landmark Mini Mall and threw the manhole cover into the air, but firefighters said things could have been much worse. "If someone had been walking by, it could have been bad," said Bluefield Fire Chief Gerald Steele. He said the force of air from the explosion was enough to break the storefront windows and the manhole cover flew off about 10 feet in the other direction. "I'd say that manhole cover ways about 250 pounds," he said, "and it flew all the way over there and took a big chunk out of the sidewalk." Steele said the manhole owned by AEP harbors an electrical junction. He said such explosions are not common, but do occasionally happen, usually if there is a short in the electrical wiring which sparks and ignites sewage gases or other types of gases which might build up in the manhole. However, tests of the area were showing no signs of gas buildup. He said an accumulation of coal dust that has gathered over the years probably burned for a few seconds, causing the smoke, but would not have been the major source of the problem. "I don't think there is any immediate danger," Steele said. Steele said he was notified of the explosion at about 8:25 a.m. Tuesday and responded to find the plate glass windows of the store broken but still standing and smoke coming from the manhole adjacent to the building. "The glass was just swinging back and forth in the wind, so we had somebody from Warlick Glass come on over and take it out so they could replace it," he said. "Residents in the Opera House apartments and those in the business center across the street heard it, so it was apparently a pretty significant explosion, but it was very brief and there is no indication of a buildup of natural gas." He said they inspected the building to make sure there were no electrical problems inside and had found none there or in any other buildings in the area. Steele said he was aware of one other such explosion on Bluefield Avenue several years ago, but Landmark Mini Mall manager Christine Bordeaux added that a similar but much less serious event occurred in the same manhole in front of the store a few years back. "It happened out there before, about two years ago," said Bordeaux. "Then it just blew the top off and our alarm went off. Apparently, the force was enough to set off the alarm. I'd really like to know what's causing this." She said neither she nor owner Evans Riley were in the store at the time of this latest explosion. "It was a real shock to come in and see fire trucks everywhere," she said. "I thought the place was on fire. I immediately got a sick feeling in my stomach and thought 'Oh, no, the mall's gone.'" Fortunately, the explosion only damaged the windows, and no other items in the store were affected. At 4 p.m. Tuesday, Steele said the department was continuing to monitor the site for signs of any sort of combustible gas, but they had already check three times during the day and found none. No signs of electrical damage to the wiring in the manhole were evident. "At this point we're just kind of mystified," he said.
Worker electrocuted while unloading salt truck Wednesday, February5, 2003, 6:22 AM SKOWHEGAN (AP) -- The investigation is continuing into the death of a 19-year-old worker who was electrocuted while helping to unload a salt truck in Skowhegan. Police say Jon Atwood of North New Portland had his hand on the trailer when the truck touched overhead power lines attached to a garage on Milburn Street. The accident took place around 11 a.m. Tuesday morning. Atwood was pronounced dead at Redington-Fairview General Hospital. No other injuries were reported.
Underground Explosion Closes Downtown Offices; Transformer Causes Fire, But No Injuries February 4, 2003 An underground explosion and fire forced the closing of several offices at the Detroit Edison complex downtown Tuesday morning. A transformer exploded Monday night, blowing out a manhole cover. Underground wires also burned, which slowed down efforts to assess the damage and make repairs. Workers in several DTE Energy offices were advised not to return to work Tuesday while repairs were made. There were no injuries, Local 4 reported.
2 electrocuted, 1 hurt at ship facility in Cebu Posted:1:26 PM (Manila Time) | Feb. 05, 2003 INQ7.net TWO WORKERS were electrocuted and another was hurt when they accidentally touched a high-tension wire at a Japanese ship building facility in Balamban town, Cebu. Quoted on radio, Balamban police identified the fatalities as Romy Pisong Pisong and Joel Mesa, both residents of the town. Another victim, Lolito Roylan was rushed to the hospital for treatment. The three were cleaning inside the compound of Tsuneishi Heavy Industries when they accidentally touched the 32,000-volt wire, which served as a transmission line. Officials of the Japanese firm promised to shoulder the burial costs.
State investigates electrocution, Vacaville man was shocked By FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS Thursday, January 30, 2003 - CONCORD -- State investigators arrived Wednesday at a medical manufacturing facility where a veteran engineer was electrocuted while fixing an oil leak. The victim, identified as Thomas Michael Guest, 48, of Vacaville had worked at Siemens for nine years. Guest was fixing an oil leak in a project test room when he was jolted by high voltage at 3:25 p.m. Tuesday, Concord Police Cpl. Maurice Jennings reported. His co-workers found him unconscious and began performing CPR, which was continued when paramedics arrived at 3:40 p.m., according to a company statement. He was pronounced dead shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday at Mount Diablo Medical Center in Concord. The plant, located at 4040 Nelson Ave., houses the Oncology Care Systems Group of Siemens Medical Solutions USA. The plant employs 400 workers. The facility manufactures linear accelerators, which are machines that emit radiation used to combat cancer. "The company is investigating the circumstances of this tragic accident and is fully cooperating with California Occupation Safety and Health Administration and the Concord Police Department to determine the cause," said a statement by Siemens.
Man suffers electrical shock in area refinery By: Icess Fernandez January 29, 2003 A 40-year-old man was injured by a 35,000-volt electric shock at the ExxonMobil Baytown Complex, Jan. 27. The unidentified man, an independent contractor from Industrial Specialties Contractors, was Life-fighted to Memorial Hermann Hospital at approximately 2 p.m. "Our thoughts remain with the individual and his family for a full recovery," Mike Brown, Refinery Manager, said in a press statement. The 3,600-acre ExxonMobil Baytown complex houses two chemical plants, a refinery, a technology lab. he refinery, the largest in the country, was founded in 1919 and is situated on 2,400 acres. It employs 600 contract personnel. The annual salaries, wages and benefits at the plant are about $121 million for the 1,450 refinery employee alone. The incident rate at the refinery is .82 percent for employees and .27 percent for contractors. The plant operates 24 hours a day year-round and pays $28.1 million in city, county, property, school and college taxes. ExxonMobil owns four manufacturing plants in the greater Houston area. Both the Mont Belvieu plant and the Baytown Complex have approximately 4,000 employees combined. ExxonMobil manufactures several household items including plastics, rubber and steel. The company's specialty products include lube oils and fluids. ExxonMobil gasoline is shipped to several states across the country including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Florida and Tennessee. About 10 percent of the products manufactured leave by tanker, another 10 percent leave by barge, 3 percent by tank car and tank truck and the majority, 77 percent, leave by pipeline. The accident at the Baytown refinery is still being investigated.
Worker electrocuted on state Route 8 AKRON - An employee of a Wadsworth electric company apparently was electrocuted Tuesday on state Route 8 as he wired highway lighting. The victim was identified as James D. Brulinski, 27, of Maple Heights. He died at Akron City Hospital shortly before 1 p.m. The accident occurred at 12:15 p.m. on state Route 8 northbound near Perkins Street. An autopsy is to be done today to determine the official cause of his death. According to an Akron Police Department report, Brulinski was electrocuted while he and another man worked on the wiring of a light post. Brulinski's employer, Perram Electric of Wadsworth, does highway lighting maintenance jobs for the city, according to public works officials. The work that Brulinski was doing was not part of the state Route 8 construction project, officials said.
Steel mill burn victim still ‘critical’ By Scott Harper, staff writer January 28, 2003 A Georgetown Steel worker who was severely burned in an electrical accident Saturday remained hospitalized in critical condition at a Georgia hospital Tuesday afternoon. Michael Cribb of Georgetown, who has worked at Georgetown Steel for 30 years, suffered burns over 40 percent of his body about 2 p.m. Saturday, according to James Sanderson, president of United Steelworkers of America Local 7898. “[Cribb] was measuring voltage for a rectifier in some switch-gear” when the accident happened, Sanderson said. Cribb, 51, is a general foreman in the plant’s rolling mill. Since the Medical University of South Carolina Hospital closed its adult burn center last year, Cribb is being treated at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta. Sanderson said Cribb’s accident has been a topic during Georgetown Steel contract negotiations this week. Although Cribb has a long employment record, Sanderson said his accident is an example of why more training is needed, especially for new workers. Union officials want the company to provide at least two weeks of school-type training before new employees can start working at the mill. “They need to understand the dangers of the equipment they will be working on and with,” he said.
UPDATE OPPD looking into work-site accidents BY NANCY GAARDER WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER The Omaha Public Power District is in the midst of its second investigation in two months of a serious workplace accident involving apprentice line technicians. Last week, a lineman was critically burned when a live wire came in contact with the elevated bucket he was standing in. Last month, a worker died when he fell from a power pole. "These are a tragedy," said Ron Morrison, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 763. "But it's not something that appears to be a pattern, at least I hope it isn't." Morrison said he has confidence in OPPD's commitment to the safety of his membership. Because OPPD is a public entity, its accidents are not investigated by the U.S. Occupational, Safety and Health Administration. Instead, accidents are investigated by an internal committee. Cynthia Buettner, spokeswoman for OPPD, said the committee includes representatives of management, labor and someone with direct knowledge of the work involved. Buettner said the investigation into last week's ccident remains under way, so the details are not available. ark O'Connor, 35, is in fair condition at the Clarkson Hospital burn unit. He was working with two crews - six other people - near 43rd and Burt Streets on Jan. 16 when he was injured. In December, Michael Johnson died after he fell from a pole near Ceresco, Neb. The investigation into that accident indicated that all safety guidelines and equipment were in place, Buettner said. Both O'Connor and Johnson had extensive training, she said. They had taken two years of course work before joining OPPD in late 2001. The apprenticeship itself takes four years.
Two workers jolted by 14,400-volt line The men were installing a new line that became energized when the far end brushed another line in use, an official said. By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET, Times Staff Writer St. Petersburg Times, published January 24, 2003 WESLEY CHAPEL -- A jolt from a 14,400-volt live wire sent two Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative workers to the hospital Thursday morning. Carl Smith Jr., 37, of Spring Hill is in serious condition at Tampa General Hospital. His co-worker, Scott Yeager, 29, of Ridge Manor, was treated and released Thursday evening, hospital spokesman John Dunn said. Smith, an apprentice lineman, took the brunt of the shock about 9:30 a.m. while trying to install a new line just inside the Seven Oaks subdivision on County Road 581, a couple of miles south of State Road 54. The new line had no electricity running through it -- that is, until one end brushed up against an energized wire at the cooperative's Saddlebrook substation, Pasco County Fire Marshal Larry Whitten said. The contact with the 14,400-volt overhead line created a "fireball" at the substation, but did not injure a nearby employee hoisted in a bucket truck, Whitten said. That employee's name was not available Thursday. "He was checked out by paramedics, and other than being shaken up by the whole thing, he appeared to be okay," Whitten said. But the crossing of the wires sent a powerful jolt to the other end of the line, which Smith was handling on the ground, Whitten said. Yeager, another apprentice lineman standing nearby, also received an electrical shock, he said. Both men were taken by helicopter to the hospital. Yeager came on board with the company in August 2000, and Smith was hired in December 2001, cooperative spokesman Ernie Holzhauer said. Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative's safety officials are investigating the incident, Holzhauer said. "They're looking into all aspects so we can disseminate information to our employees to prevent another accident like this from happening," he said.
Kings Mountain man electrocuted while trimming tree Associated Press KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. - A man was killed over the weekend when he touched a power line while trying to trim a tree, police said. David Allen Parker, 33, of Kings Mountain, was climbing a ladder when he came in contact with a primary power line that carried 7,200 volts of electricity, Kings Mountain Police Department Sgt. R.S. Davis said. Parker was pronounced dead at Kings Mountain Hospital. A friend holding the ladder for Parker suffered neck and back injuries when Parker fell, Davis said. His name and condition weren't available. Parker, who worked for a gutter company, was a father of four. He and his fiancee were expecting a child, according to his family.
Worker critical following shock Tuesday, January 21, 2003 By KATHERINE BLOK The Express-Times WASHINGTON -- A mid-morning fire on Monday has sent one man to the hospital, police said. A fire broke out at Cebal America on Route 31 about 11:30 a.m. Monday, police said. The building is commonly known as the former American Can facility. The fire started when a factory employee, Ernie Meshach of Lopatcong Township, was electrically shocked, said fire Chief Steve Alpaugh. Alpaugh said the cause of the electrical shock is unknown. The incident is under investigation. Meshach was transported by helicopter to the burn unit at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, N.J. He was listed in critical condition Monday evening. Cardboard boxes and plastic materials in the area where Meshach was working caught fire, but it was controlled and extinguished by the factory's industrial sprinkler system, Alpaugh said. Cebal America shut down for the remainder of the morning shift, but was expected to resume business for the afternoon shift, Alpaugh said. Representatives of Cebal America could not be reached Monday.
UPDATE, Conectiv must pay injured house painter $5.1 million By RENEE WINKLER Courier-Post staff A jury awarded $5.1 million in damages to a Gloucester County house painter who was partially paralyzed on the job when an exposed electrical line shocked him. Tom Litka, 44, was painting the exterior of a home down the street from his own Franklinville residence when the accident happened June 10, 2000. He fell from a ladder and was shocked by an uninsulated power line attached to a utility pole at the house. Litka broke 15 bones, including several ribs, his backbone and sternum. One bone severed his spine, paralyzing him from the chest down, said his attorney, John Mininno. After four months of hospitalization and physical rehabilitation, Litka must use a wheelchair to move around and rely on friends and family for his care, according to testimony at the trial before Superior Court Judge Charles Little. The power line was installed and maintained by Wilmington, Del.-based Conectiv, which provides electrical service in the Franklin Township area. The company was the defendant in Litka's suit. Litka expressed gratitude after the verdict Friday that New Jersey doesn't impose caps on judgments in civil cases. "He needs constant care, professional care, and this will pay for it," Mininno said. The attorney declined further comment. Conectiv also declined to comment on the suit. The Camden County jury awarded damages of about $7.2 million - $4 million for pain and suffering and the balance for Litka's medical expenses. Jurors found that Litka was 30 percent responsible for his injury, reducing the amount Conectiv must pay to $5.1 million.
5 suffer burns in transformer blast Express New Service Pune, January 14: FIVE persons, one of them an MSEB employee and four workers from Smash Electrical Company, suffered high-degree burns from boiling oil when an electrical transformer exploded at the Joshi Hospital on Bhandarkar Road on Tuesday. PMC chief fire officer L N Raut said the workers from Smash had installed the 200 KV transformer on the hospital campus just a few minutes before the explosion. The injured MSEB staffer was supervising the work. The transformer exploded within seconds after the workers switched on the power supply, Raut said. The injured include MSEB staffer Shakil Shaikh and Smash workers Abhijit Joglekar, Padmanabhan, Bhosale and Mahajan. They have been admitted to Joshi hospital. All five were reported to be in serious condition.
Jackhammer Accident In Waterbury Waterbury - A workman remains in critical condition after an accident in Waterbury. Authorities say Otamir Cordera was using a jackhammer to dig a trench across Phoenix Avenue yesterday, when he struck a power line. Cordera suffered severe electrical burns to his face. He was rushed to St. Mary's Hospital. Cordera worked for Green Mountain Communications. The accident is under investigation.
Construction worker electrocuted By a Staff Writer JEDDAH, 13 January 2003 — Yahya Saleh, a Yemeni national, was killed by high voltage electricity while working on a building site in Jizan, Okaz daily reported yesterday. He was climbing a ladder when he touched the wires and then fell, seriously injuring his head. Firefighters rushed to the scene to investigate and assist Yahya, but he was dead when they arrived. His body was taken to a nearby hospital. By a Staff Writer
UPDATE, Downtown on temporary generator By JOHN REZANKA — News Reporter A 4,000-volt power line “flashed” while a ComEd worker from Joliet used a torch to melt lead off spliced power lines in order to gain access to and test them for faults. Hettrick described a “flash” as a huge electrical spark which gives off heat in its immediate vicinity, similar to the effect a person would get by standing near a firework when it detonates. The worker was immediately transported to St. Mary’s Hospital for treatment, where it was determined his injury, a redness similar to a sunburn on one side of the face, was minor. The worker was wearing all his safety gear, a fact which helped protect him from serious injury, Hettrick noted. “He was given a clean bill of health and returned to work yesterday afternoon.” Rather than proceed with underground investigation after the accident, Hettrick said ComEd determined it was safer to cut power to the underground lines and use a temporary generator to supply power to downtown Streator. “We are proceeding cautiously to make sure it’s safe for our workers,” Hettrick said. “In order to safely reopen the manhole, we need to cut power to downtown Streator and use the generator as an alternate source of power.” The two-megawatt diesel generator, which fills a specially designed semi trailer and can produce enough electricity to serve a medium-sized community, arrived at the Walgreens’ north parking lot Thursday morning. It will remain there until ComEd can locate the underground problem. Under the best case scenario, Hettrick said workers may be able to find and fix the problem in the underground power lines today. However, depending on what workers find in the underground vault, it could take several more days. As far as the impact to electricity users in the downtown area, Hettrick said the switch from underground power lines to the generator should not result in any power outages or power surges. “It should be seamless,” he said. “We will power up the generator before we cut power to the underground lines.” The only anticipated impact to customers will occur when crews switch back from the generator to the regular power lines, Hettrick said. Customers in the downtown area will probably experience an outage of about one-minute as workers manually reconnect to power lines. Workers at the site Thursday spent the remainder of the day testing the generator to make sure it was properly phased. This morning, they restarted the generator and connected it to power lines serving the downtown area. In order to meet the electrical needs of the downtown area, the generator will run at about 25 percent of its peak capacity.
Electrical Workers Burned by 12,000 Volt Flash Two electrical workers were severely burned Wednesday morning while installing heating and air conditioning equipment at a Sacramento-area Kmart store. The accident happened at the store at Cottage and Howe Avenue at about 11:15 a.m. The workers were replacing equipment on the roof of the store and went down to a utility room to energize the equipment. When they turned it on, a 12,000 volt flash burned the workers. The two men received second and third-degree burns. The current did not go through their bodies, so they did not receive an electrical shock. The flash was so enormous that it tripped a SMUD breaker nearby and shut off power to the Kmart store. Crews are checking the equipment before turning power back on. The store remains closed.
UPDATE, Luverne sued for two electric accidents By: Franny White, Daily Globe January 07, 2003 One man died, another lost a hand because of Luverne's errors, lawsuits allege LUVERNE - "Substandard, negligent and dangerous" work by City of Luverne employees caused the 2001 electrocution death of a man installing cable on a Luverne power pole, a lawsuit alleges. The family of Brad Gerald Herr, who was fatally electrocuted Oct. 10, 2001, while installing cable near the National Guard Armory at 309 S. Freeman Ave., is suing the city for $750,000. In an additional legal action, Luverne employees failed to de-energize high-voltage equipment on Dec. 3, 2001, causing the electrocution of a Fulda Electric Service, Inc., employee, a separate lawsuit alleges. Fulda Electric is suing Luverne for $50,000 to compensate for the higher workers' compensation premiums it claims to have paid because of the latter accident. Pete Regnier, an attorney representing Luverne through League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust, said "the city denies liability in the cases" but refused further comment Monday, citing the case was ongoing. Luverne will file a formal response to the Brad Herr lawsuit by February and will request an extension to respond to the Fulda Electric lawsuit, Regnier said. Herr, of Waubay, S.D., was an employee of RCH Cable Sales Company of the Midwest, Inc., and was hired by Mediacom, LLC, to pull traps along cable lines for digital cable service at the time of the accident. According to his family's lawsuit, Herr "came into contact with an energized vertical ground wire that was not connected to a suitable grounding electrode," resulting in Herr's electrocution. Another accident occurred on the same power pole in September 2001 that burned and shocked a different Mediacom employee, the lawsuit claims. Afterward, Luverne "did not take appropriate measures to remedy the lines and equipment," the lawsuit says. Fulda Electric was subcontracting work for Luverne when Fulda Electric employee Phillip Kramer was working at the west Luverne substation, where Kramer was electrocuted with 14,000 volts. The accident occurred because of Luverne's "failure to properly de-energize the high-voltge electrical equipment" before Kramer began work at the substation, the lawsuit alleges. Kramer lost his left hand and part of his forearm because of the accident, Fulda Electric CEO Don Welling said. As a result of both incidents, three Luverne employees have been reprimanded, Luverne City Administrator Matt Hylen said. A senior lineman received two verbal reprimands, while another senior lineman was suspended for two days. Public Utilities Director Red Arndt was also suspended for five days. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined Luverne $2,000 for the fatal electrocution, which OSHA called a "serious" violation. OSHA also fined Luverne $56,000 for two "willful" violations in the Fulda Electric electrocution. Hylen said the two electrocutions were the "first bad incidents that have happened" during his seven years of employment with the city.
Coffee workers electrocuted in truck Six Nicaraguan coffee workers have been electrocuted while travelling in a truck. The incident happened near La Dalia after a 15-year-old worker accidentally touched an electric wire. Jose Ruden Perez reached out to catch his cap as it flew away, and lost his right hand to electric burns but survived. Some 100 workers were traveling in the truck on the way to coffee field 110 miles north of the capital Managua. Six were electrocuted and another 30 sustained injuries. Government officials have promised to help the victims.
UPDATE, Wheelan to accept GLP offer; Money will never repair anguish he’s endured, triple amputee says By RACHEL PUNCH January 06, 2003 Local News - Lewis Wheelan, who lost both legs and an arm in an electrical accident while clearing brush for Great Lakes Power Ltd. two years ago, says he plans to accept the company's latest offer of financial assistance. GLP sent Wheelan a letter just before Christmas last month, offering a new deal of $3,000 per month plus a two-per-cent increase annually. Any money that Wheelan earns before May 30, 2007, would be taken off his settlement. Wheelan said he is prepared to accept, but feels GLP took far too long to work out the arrangement. The 20-year-old says it will never repair the mental and physical anguish he has endured. “I think that's nothing compared to what I've been through,” said Wheelan on Saturday during an interview from his parents’ home in Sault Ste. Marie, where he was visiting for the holidays. “It's very tough because no one understands how I feel. It's torture.” Wheelan was working on a summer job with a tree-cutting contractor on May 30, 2001, when a tree crashed through a power line that had been left live. Electrical burns, as a result of 7,200 volts of electricity running through his body, cost Wheelan his right arm, right shoulder and both legs. The contractor, Neatside Vegetation, had been hired by GLP to clear brush. Initially, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board offered Wheelan $288 a week, about $15,000 net income a year, until he turns 65. The Wheelans rejected the offer from WSIB. GLP offered to pay for Wheelan's education and give him a job, but he felt he deserved more. Wheelan said Colin Clark, president of GLP, visited him in hospital in Toronto on March 13, 2002 and told him he was top priority to the company. In June 2002, GLP made him another offer but Wheelan didn't accept it. Wheelan said he outlined to GLP in July what he wanted. Wheelan also said that during prior negotiations, GLP was attempting to get him to tell the media how co-operative the company was. “They were trying to coax me into signing a contract that said I would go into The Sault Star and say that they (GLP representatives) were nice guys.” When contacted for comment on Saturday, Clark said, “I'm not prepared to discuss anything with the media right now. My company is having private discussions with Lewis and his family and endeavoring to assist him, and that's all I'm prepared to say.” Wheelan was attending Sir Wilfrid Laurier University when the accident happened. Since then, he has completed a distance-education course while living in Toronto and is a student in the Faculty of Arts at York University. He lives on his own in an apartment in North York. “I can live mostly independent, but it is still very difficult to deal with. It's still pretty tough,” he said. “I'd like to thank all the people from Sault Ste. Marie and all over Ontario who have supported me through this. I'd also like to thank my close friends.”
UPDATE, Company fined in double death Associated Press January 3, 2003 MERIDEN, Conn. -- The federal safety regulators have proposed a $10,850 fine against a New Haven company that employed two men who were electrocuted while washing bricks on a Meriden city building. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration Thursday proposed the fine against Milestone Restoration Inc. for violations of state standards including insufficient training in the use of a boom crane. Eugenio Torres, 47, and Hector Leon, 50, both of New Haven, were killed Oct. 2 while power washing the Stoddard Municipal Building. The two men were working in the bucket of a boom crane when they came in contact with high voltage wires running from the building. Representative of Milestone will meet with OSHA next week to discuss the violations. Milestone will have the options of paying the fines, reaching a settlement with OSHA or appealing the citations in court.
UPDATE, Lakeland Agrees To Pay Widow; City worker's estate gets largest settlement allowed without a suit. By Rick Rousos The Ledger LAKELAND -- The city of Lakeland will pay a $200,000 settlement to the family of Marc Moore, the city utility worker electrocuted on Aug. 26, attorneys said Friday. In exchange, Moore's family will waive its rights to sue the city. The $200,000 payment -- the most lucrative allowed under Florida law without a plea to the Legislature -will come from city coffers because Lakeland is self-insured. That money does not include $100,000 already paid to Moore's estate from the city's workers' compensation self-insurance fund. Four other utility workers were treated for minor injuries in the accident near Reynolds Road that killed the 31-year-old Moore, a special equipment operator. Moore was helping to install a 40foot utility pole when part of a crane hit a live wire, sending between 450 and 550 volts toward the damp ground. "This (settlement) at least puts the legal part of this tragedy behind us," City Attorney Tim McCausland told city commissioners Friday morning during an informal meeting. Commissioners are expected to approve the settlement Monday morning, without discussion. The item has been placed along with several others on what is called the consent agenda, meaning commissioners will vote on all of them at once, without debate. The settlement will be paid in the absence of a lawsuit, which would have been filed had the settlement not been reached. The $200,000 settlement was the most Tracy Moore could be paid by the city in a lawsuit settlement because of state limits on awards, known as sovereign immunity caps. Governments in Florida can be sued, but the Legislature has put limits on the amount of money plaintiffs can collect. The only way Tracy Moore could possibly have been paid more than the $200,000 was to take the case to trial and be awarded more by a jury. However, any award in excess of $200,000 would have required petitioning the Legislature for approval. "Bottom line, the odds were very high that litigation would have resulted in no additional recovery -- or $100,000 at best," Kent Lilly, Tracy Moore's attorney, said Friday. "Since the settlement permits retention of the workers' compensation benefits, the total of $300,000 is a bestcase scenario from a financial standpoint. "While the money doesn't come close to fairly and adequately compensating the Moore family for their tremendous loss, it's the best resolution possible . . ." Lilly said McCausland and the city have acted in good faith and shown considerable decency toward Tracy Moore and her two young sons. "They could have taken a whole different approach to this, especially with the workers' comp thing, and fought it till the cows came home -- but they didn't," Lilly said. "We would have had an uphill battle, not because of the facts of the case, but because of the caps." Also, soon after Moore's death, city commissioners voted to establish a $10,000 educational trust fund for each of the Moores' two young sons. Tracy Moore could not be reached Friday to comment. However, one of her main concerns since her husband's death has been seeing that the safety practices of the utility and its line workers improve. An investigative report prepared by J. B. Shepherd and Associates of Windermere criticized the workers' failure to follow established policies and procedures in the the accident. "They have assured me that they recognize internal problems, and they are correcting them," Lilly said. "It's important that they do better in protecting the guys that are still there." He said Tracy Moore keeps in touch with some linemen and has so far been satisfied that positive changes are being made.
UPDATE, Faulty cable caused Watts Bar fire: TVA report Faulty insulation around an electrical cable caused the September fire that injured five people and damaged the hydroelectric station near the Watts Bar nuclear plant, according to a Tennessee Valley Authority investigation. The investigation results, which were released Friday, conclude that an arc extending from the cable to a metal grate ignited the insulation Sept. 27. The ensuing fire caused an estimated $30 million in damage to the station, which serves as a backup power source for the nuclear plant and provides electricity to the entire TVA power grid. The fire destroyed equipment in a control building and a cable shaft that runs from the building to the Tennessee River. TVA hopes to have the five units at Watts Bar Dam producing power by the spring, said spokesman Gil Francis. "We would love to be getting the hydro-generation from that plant because it's low-cost generation," he said. Despite Watts Bar's four-month hiatus, TVA has generated more hydroelectric power overall through increased production t its 28 other stations, Francis said. Heavy rain in 2002 has benefited the public utility, he said. The fire has not disrupted the dam's effect on the Tennessee River, TVA officials said. "We are continuing to operate the dam for flood control and release water to maintain downstream aquatic habitats, and to meet navigation and cooling-water requirements," Janet Herrin, TVA's senior vice president of river operations, said in a statement. The fire was first detected when control-room employees saw smoke pouring into their work area. Twenty-five employees were inside the plant at the time. Five workers were taken to a local hospital treated for smoke inhalation. An investigation by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms found no criminal involvement in the fire at the plant, which dates back to 1942 and has a generation capacity of 145 megawatts. Francis said TVA is increasing inspections and emergency response procedures at its other plants to avoid a similar situation. TVA provides electricity to some 8.3 million people in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. Spring City is about 50 miles south of Knoxville.
UPDATE, Company fined $12,000 after worker suffers serious burns Watercare Services Ltd was fined $12,000 in the Auckland District Court today after an accident last year. The company was prosecuted by the Occupational Safety and Health Service (OSH) under the Health and Safety in Employment Act. “This was an horrific accident that left a contractor with severe burns over most of his body including his face, chest, arms and hands, said OSH Auckland Service Manager, John Forrest. “New Zealanders being harmed at work is simply unacceptable. In this case it is unlikely the victim will ever return to work. “The worker suffered serious injuries from an 11KV electrical flashover while working on switchboard equipment at the Mangere wastewater treatment plant. “The judge commented that the accident would not have happened had Watercare’s safety procedures been properly adhered to, a permit for the work obtained, and the necessary isolation carried out. “Everyone has the right to go to work and be safe. Companies must ensure that workplace hazards are identified and controlled correctly, and that safety systems are constantly reviewed and updated, and that staff are trained and supervised." Further Information: John Forrest, Service Manager, Auckland, OSH, Tel: 09 525 0268 Mobile: 027 201 9768
ComEd worker electrocuted By Rhonda Sciarra Daily Herald Staff Writer December 29, 2002 ComEd officials said Saturday they are investigating the death of an Addison father of four who was electrocuted Friday while working on power lines in Schiller Park. Jorge Mijares, 42, was pronounced dead at a Melrose Park hospital 40 minutes after the 10 a.m. "freak accident" in the 4000 block of Scott Avenue, Schiller Park police Sgt. Tom Belpedio and ComEd spokesman Tim Lindberg said. Mijares, an 18-year employee with ComEd, was in a cherry picker that came in contact with a live power line, they said. A hole was burned through the cherry picker basket that had lifted Mijares and another worker to the power lines, Belpedio said. "From what I understand 35,000 volts of electricity went right through him," he said. The Cook County medical examiner's office ruled the death accidental and caused by electrocution after an autopsy Saturday. The second employee, James Bowdry, 41, of Maywood, was treated for minor burns. ComEd is looking into the incident. "Exactly what happened up there is still under investigation," Lindberg said. Meanwhile, family and friends of Mijares, of the 200 block of North Friars Court, cannot fathom what happened. "I know my husband would not make a mistake," said wife Fran. "He was the head of a safety committee at ComEd and knew what he was doing." The couple had been married for 15 years and had four children ranging in ages from 9 to 14, she said. Jorge Mijares coached his children and their sports teams with the Addison Rec Club and Pop Warner football for about eight years. "He was the best father and a family man," his wife said. "He was the gentlest, kindest man. Words can't express how we are going to miss him." Chuck Fossen, who has coached and vacationed alongside Mijares for years, said his friend was great with children. "I have never heard anyone say a bad word about him," Fossen said. "He was big, jovial and always cracking jokes." ComEd is providing counseling services to employees who worked with Mijares and said accidents like Friday's are rare, Lindberg said. "This is a tragedy in the ComEd family," he said. "Our sympathy and prayers go out to his family." A wake for Mijares will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. Monday at Humes Funeral Home, 320 W. Lake St. in Addison, his wife said. Services begin at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church at 1213 Army Trail Blvd. in Addison. Burial will be at Eden Memorial Park in Schiller Park.
UPDATE, Meadows companies indicted for employees’ electrocutions BY BARBARA BELL Federal charges have been filed against two Rolling Meadows firms, alleging the companies’ lack of training led to the deaths of two employees by electrocution. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald announced Dec. 11 that Rolling Meadows-based L.E. Myers Co. and its parent firm, MYR Group Inc., had been indicted on charges of deliberately disobeying federal workplace safety regulations. Myers provides construction services for electric utilities. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of MYR. Blake Lane, 20, of Sullivan, Ill., was killed Dec. 28, 1999, while doing maintenance work on a Commonwealth Edison high-voltage transmission tower in Mount Prospect, according to federal prosecutors. Lane touched an energized wire while inspecting a steel tower and was electrocuted. Wade Cumpston, 43, of Ashland, Ky., was electrocuted March 25, 2000, in Plainfield after he touched an energized grounding cable while working from an uninsulated bucket. Myers had a contract with ComEd at the time of the employees’ deaths. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, the charges against Myers and MYR are the first time in the nation that the electrocution of two men in high-voltage transmission towers resulted in criminal prosecution. In a prepared statement, William Skibitsky, president of Myers, denied that the company deliberately violated federal safety laws. “We deeply regret these tragic incidents,” he said. “We understand OSHA’s (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) role in helping to maintain a safe work environment, and we support its efforts. We cooperated fully with its investigations. However, we believe that the court will find the facts of the case do not support OSHA’s position.” Myers and MYR each are charged with two counts of violating OSHA safety regulations. The charges are misdemeanors. If convicted, Myers and MYR each could be sentenced to a maximum of five years probation and a maximum fine of $1 million. Both companies will be arraigned later in U.S. District Court at which time they'll be asked to enter a plea to the charges.
Man dies from electrocution Curtis DeBruin worked at Orv’s construction site By John Lee KAUKAUNA — A 28-year-old man died Wednesday when he was apparently electrocuted while working on a construction project. Curtis J. DeBruin of Kimberly, an employee of Enterprise Electric, did not have a pulse and was not breathing when he was found near an electrical panel at Five Star Frozen Foods Inc., 1601 Hyland Ave., at 1:15 p.m. Outagamie County Coroner Ruth Wulgaert said he was apparently working on the electrical panel in a part of the plant that is being expanded. She said there were no witnesses. DeBruin was found by another worker. Assistant Kaukauna Police Chief John Manion said co-workers — and later police officers — started cardiopulmonary resuscitation until paramedics from the Kaukauna Fire Department arrived. DeBruin was transported to Appleton Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 2 p.m. Wulgaert said an autopsy will be performed today while police, company and insurance officials continue their investigation. Five Star is the maker of Orv’s Pizza. The owners bought the business over six years ago. Company President Jim Niemuth said the expansion will add about 35,000 square feet, mainly for warehouse space. The company makes frozen pizzas and employs about 70.
UPDATE, OSHA: Electrical Hazards Factor in Two Accidents December 17, 2002 The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co., for failing to protect workers from serious electrical hazards at a dredging and beach replenishment project south of Vilano Beach, Fla. The citations carry proposed penalties totaling $43,000. OSHA began an inspection of the worksite July 2, after notification from St. Johns County Sheriff Department officials that two company employees had received severe electrical shocks at the site where sand was being pumped from the ocean bottom up to the eroded beach. The first worker, using wet gloves during a welding operation, was injured June 17; the second worker was injured July 1 and sustained deep electrical burns to his right arm. Both employees were hospitalized as a result of their injuries. "Using electrical equipment without grounding protection is often fatal," says James. D. Borders, OSHA's Jacksonville area director. "These workers are fortunate to be alive. The long, painful months of recovery they will have to endure could have been avoided if the employer had taken the proper precautions to protect them." OSHA issued ten serious citations to the Oak Brook, Ill-based firm for failure to provide employees with proper personal protective equipment while working with energized welding cables and electrode holders; failing to properly ground temporary electrical wiring and allowing employees to operate hand-held electrical tools with missing grounding prongs. The agency also cited the company's failure to repair or replace damaged portable ladders and guardrails around an elevated work area. A serious citation is issued when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew or should have known of the hazard. The company has 15 working days to contest the OSHA citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
26-year-old welder electrocuted EUGENIA OKPARA, Owerri THE Orji Mechanic Village of Owerri North Council area in Imo State was at the weekend thrown into confusion as a 26-year-old welder, Festus Ibe, was electrocuted in a grotesque circumstance. A witness account had it that the late welder was working on a Volkswagen Golf car when the ugly incident happened. A friend of the late Festus Ibe, fondly called “DD”, who pleaded anonymity, revealed that the late welder was welding something under the car “and unknown to all of us, a live wire fell on the metal board on which he was lying.” The witness told the DAILY TIMES that their attention was drawn to the spot when they realised that he was no longer working. Explaining, “one of the people around bent down and discovered that all was not well with Ibe and raised alarm which attracted other colleagues to the scene”. Continuing, he said that they had no premonition of the impending doom adding that “we all came to work as usual and prayed for a peaceful, fruitful outing but unfortunately we had a tragedy”. “Discovering that he was motionless under the car after calling him and there was no any response, we switched off his welding machine, brought him out and rushed him to a nearby private hospital where he was certified dead by a medical doctor”, he said. He said the staff of the hospital did all they could to resuscitate Ibe but did not succeed. The late Festus Ibe was a native of Umuofor Amaimo in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State and had earned his living at the Orji Mechanic Village as a welder before the incident. It would be recalled that the same mechanic village lost one Kennett Nwachukwu in August through electrocution, thereby making the death of Festus Ibe the second artisan to have been electrocuted this year. The irony of the situation is that the two victims of electrocution were from Ikeduru Council Area as late Nwachukwu hailed from Ikembara. Meanwhile, the remains of the late Ibe have been deposited in the morgue of an unknown private hospital.
Two die of electric shock in Dar In the second incident, God Maimu (24), died and his two colleagues were seriously injured in an electric fault after their drilling machine accidentally touched a live electric wire. Explaining the incident on Sunday, the RPC said that the drilling machine had accidentally touched a live wire which lay on the ground at Hindi Street No.12 in Ilala. Those who were injured in the accident are Ahmed Amir, (20), and Abass Ngaza, (25), both of whom are employees of GO Tanzania Drilling Company, said Tibaigana. The two have also been admitted to Muhimbili and their conditions are improving, according to the RPC. In another incident, Steven Njemeni, (35), died on Saturday in a car accident at Manzese Darajani in Dar es Salaam. According to the RPC, the incident, which took place at around 9.a.m on Saturday, involved a car with registration number TZE 3404. The car driver, Agapiti Kabezo, (40), has been arrested for further investigation in connection with the accident.
UPDATE, Electrical contracting firms charged in worker deaths U.S. attorney: First federal indictment regarding tower safety CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) --Two large electrical contracting companies were charged with federal misdemeanors in the deaths of two employees who were killed while working on steel towers supporting high-voltage power lines. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said it appeared to be the first time an indictment has been brought against companies concerning violation of safety rules applying to work atop such towers. "It is our intention that today's charges will remind employers of the extraordinary responsibility our nation places on them to insure the safety of their workers," Fitzgerald said Wednesday. MYR Group Inc., based in Delaware, and its subsidiary L.E. Myers Co. were charged with willfully violating federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration regulations, offenses that could result in fines totaling $2 million. The companies said they would defend themselves in court. "We deeply regret these tragic accidents," L.E. Myers President William Skibitsky said. However, he said, the company objected to any implication that the deaths were caused by willful acts. Both men were electrocuted, one in December 1999 and the other in March 2000, and had been under contract with L.E. Myers. According to OSHA, 37 workers were killed doing work for L.E. Myers between 1972 and September 2000. OSHA had proposed a $423,500 fine, but that was on hold pending the outcome of criminal charges, federal officials said. Myers employs more than 1,000 workers nationwide.
Workman electrocuted By Jerry Pratley A 33-YEAR-OLD man died and another was seriously injured after a crane installing a light pole hit 132,000-volt powerlines yesterday. The incident was at a new housing development near Hepburn Avenue and Giralt Road in Marangaroo. The name of the man who died has not been released. The injured man was taken by ambulance to hospital. Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union State secretary Kevin Reynolds claimed workers at the site said they believed the contractor was told the lines were not live. "There is no proof of that but that is what was being said by people on site," Mr Reynolds said. "It was around Christmas three years ago that we had exactly the same type of fatality happen when a crane hit powerlines. When is something going to be done?" Both firms involved in the work declined to comment. The firms were not working for Western Power, spokesman Peter Winner said. Power sometimes was switched off to wires when construction work was being done nearby but Western Power had not had any application in relation to the Marangaroo site. "Normally, when there is this type of work going on in the vicinity of high voltage power lines, Western Power is advised," he said. "But there is no record of Western Power being advised. "If we are advised that work is going on, we can either turn off the line or put some protective sleeves over the line so that if something like this occurs, it is the protection rather than the wires that are hit. "We turn off wires when we can accommodate it but today it would have been difficult because the demand for electricity is so high that we needed that line." The incident will be investigated by WorkSafe, the Office of Energy Safety and police. A review of WA Occupational Health and Safety laws by former Australian industrial relations commissioner Bob Laing that was tabled in Parliament two weeks ago recommended that negligent senior officers or company directors be held personally liable for serious injury or death on work sites. Mr Laing recommended that significantly bigger penalties, including jail terms. UnionsWA also has called for stiffer penalties, including jail.
Electrical mishap disrupts CCH By:Stephen Mercer December 11, 2002 A contractor suffered mild burns, and many people at Coulee Community Hospital went without heat for hours following an electrical accident Thursday. Coulee Community Hospital Administrator Mike Wiltermood said contractors were working on an electrical panel when an electric arc struck one of the workers and caused substantial burns. "I was standing in the room when it happened," said CCH maintenance worker Ryan Fish. "Something did arc, but we're not sure what." The arc knocked out the power in the hospital and filled the north end of the building with smoke, Wiltertmood said. A backup generator started about 30 seconds later to provide power in the emergency room and the hospital. The electrician, from Omak-based Don Kruse Electric, was taken to the emergency room and released later that night, he said. Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Dept. Captain Dean McPherson said they received the fire call at about 3:30 p.m. and power was restored by 7 p.m. "The main concern was patients and hospital staff," he said. "(We offered) assistance in anything we could in patient care." Fish said he told people to put out fans to take the smoke out of the building. The hospital went into "lockdown" mode for about an hour and CCH staff monitored closely who went in and out for the next several hours. The Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Dept and the Bureau of Reclamation Plant Protection personnel stayed until 7 p.m. "The hospital really appreciates the tremendous support that Grand Coulee and Bureau of Reclama-tion's services provided," Wilter-mood said. The hospital was mainly concerned with the lack of heat, especially in the nursing home, he said. The nursing home's roof-mounted heaters, which provide much of the heat in the home, were knocked out along with the power. Wiltermood said the residents were inconvenienced by the lack of heat because they could not go into their rooms, where it would be too cold. He said the hospital's heat did not come back on until 8:30 p.m. The lack of power also meant that the hospital staff could not cook food, so sandwiches had to be brought in. A second, more powerful arc, left the panel when the fire fighters examined it, but they were prepared for the arc and were unharmed, McPherson said. He said Grant County Emergency Services stood by in Ephrata with meals and heat generators in case the power could not be turned on in time and CCH needed emergency supplies. The upgrade to CCH's wiring was being done in preparation for a new X-ray machine, Wiltermood said. Fish said the upgrade is still on schedule, despite the accident. The hospital hopes to have the upgrade done by January.
Camden Man Dies In Electrocution Accident Police say Jeff Fernandez was pronounced dead at Cooper Hospital following the accident just after noon Monday. The 39-year-old was working with two other men, installing flashing around the windows of a building on North Fourth Street. The trio were trying to move the ladder, which was extended 30 feet, when they lost control of it. The ladder fell backward away from the building and came in contact with an electrical line. Police say Fernandez was wearing sneakers but was standing on a metal grate. The other men were wearing work boots, but were not in contact with the grate. They were examined at the hospital, then released.
GA Power Worker Shocked, Critical A shocked and badly burned Georgia Power worker is taken from an ambulance to a nearby helicopter. A badly injured Georgia Power worker is airlifted to a hospital. A Georgia Power worker is listed in critical condition after being shocked while on duty in Alpharetta, Ga. Alpharetta police said the employee, whose name has not been made known, suffered serious burns. A helicopter was used to airlift him to Grady Memorial Hospital. It's not yet known what caused the accident, which happened Tuesday morning near Windward Parkway and Windward concourse.
OHS in death probe Sunday December 08, 2002 Occupational Health and Safety officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a 23-year-old labourer with the Pacific Fishing Company in Levuka. The man was reportedly electrocuted. The accident occurred on Thursday at about 10.30am while the deceased was carrying out some repair work and painting at the PAFCO building. The deceased was painting the roof, he (deceased) came down to the ground to switch off a welding plant which was still on. When lifting the welding plant, he was accidentally electrocuted,” acting police public relations officer, Corporal Erami Raibe said. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Levuka Hospital. The deceased was not wearing any safety gears while he was working. It is advisable that safety precautions are observed to avoid such incidents,” he said. The post mortem (examination) on the deceased is yet to be carried out.
UPDATE, Electrician burned in accident rests at home An electrician who suffered electrical burns while working on a building expansion at The Idaho Statesman is recovering at home. Calvin Miller, who works for Power Plus Co. in Boise, received second-degree burns from the accident on Oct. 24. He was helping move inactive cables at the Statesman for a new elevator when a cable hit a live electrical source and grounded, causing a flash of electricity that burned him. He was taken to the Intermountain Burn Trauma Center in Salt Lake City for treatment. Miller was released from the burn unit in mid-November and is now resting at home, according to a representative of Power Plus. He is expected to return to work in January, the spokesman said
Overhead wires electrocute worker YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) -- A man laying sewer pipe in a new home development was electrocuted when a backhoe, operated by his father, hit a powerline overhead, the Yakima County sheriff's office said. William Anderson, 26, was pronounced dead Monday at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. Chuck Anderson, 63, the owner of Central Concrete and Utilities, was operating the backhoe while his son stabilized a section of pipe that was tethered by cable to the backhoe bucket, the sheriff's office said. The boom on the backhoe hit a powerline above it and the electrical current was transmitted to the younger Anderson. The state Department of Labor and Industries is investigating.
UPDATE, GRDA fire under investigation, Workers still hospitalized Kathy Parker Pryor Daily Times Two electricians who were burned in a fire at Grand River Dam Authority's coal fire plant Nov. 15 are on the long road to recovery. Joseph Lewis, Pryor, and Robert Ladd, Muskogee, were burned in a flash fire. The fire was caused by an arc created by a short when a sheet metal cover removed during repairs came into contact with the conductors. The electricity came from a 480 volt breaker. Both men were burned on their faces, arms and chests. Each have received skin grafts and remain in the Alexander Burn Center in Hillcrest Hospital, Tulsa. the electricians are long-time GRDA employees. "It's not uncommon for these men to be working with thousands of volts, or even 10s of thousands of volts," said Charles Barney, the GRDA Coal Fire plant manager. See the Thursday, Nov. 21st, 2002 edition of The Daily Times for a full story.
UPDATE, OSHA to investigate Gardner Drive accident Federal agency to look at electrical contractor's safety precautions PORT CHARLOTTE -- The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be investigating the Pike Electric accident Tuesday on Gardner Drive. "We just found out this morning," Les Grove said Thursday. Grove is the area director in OSHA's Tampa office. A chain-reaction series of events erupted when two Florida Power & Light subcontractors from Pike Electric were shocked Tuesday while working on a power line along Gardner Drive in Port Charlotte After the two men were injured, a large power outage followed, which contributed to five minor vehicle wrecks in the Port Charlotte area. A downed power line grazed a day-care center on Gardner Drive, scorched by fire, and Gardner Drive residents Kay and Ken Kuriger's home exploded. The two Pike Electric employees were airlifted to the Fort Myers hospital. One worker suffered burns to his head, face and neck. One of the employees, Ricky Messner, was taken to a burn unit in Tampa. Pike Electric's Human Resources vice president Zack Blackman said Thursday Messner is expected to be released from the Tampa hospital in the next two days. Blackman said his company has sent its own investigators from its North Carolina home office to Port Charlotte. "I don't want to speculate on what I think happened," Blackman said. "What happened has yet to be determined." FP&L is also investigating the incident. "We put a great deal of emphasis on safety for our workers, contractors and customers," FP&L spokeswoman Kathy Scott said Thursday. Officials with the State Fire Marshal's Office will not be investigating the accident since the cause is known and arson is not suspected. An OSHA investigation can take a month to six months to complete. The investigators look for any violations of federal safety standards. According OSHA's Internet site, the federal agency cited Pike Electric for 10 serious safety violations in March 2001 and proposed $61,000 in penalties after a worker was electrocuted in Loganville, Ga. The employee, working in an elevated lineman's bucket, was electrocuted on Sept. 11, 2000, when he came in contact with a 14,400-volt power line. Electrical accidents and fatal electrocutions in the workplace aren't unusual. According to "Workers Death by Electrocution," a 1998 OSHA investigative report, 5,348 workers were fatally electrocuted on their jobs from 1980 to 1992. An average of 411 workers died annually, and it was the fifth leading cause of death in the workplace. The same OSHA report included a study of 224 electrocutions and found five common factors: * Safety work procedures were not implemented or followed. * Workers did not wear personal protective equipment or were not provided safety equipment. * "Lockout/tagout" procedures to control the electrical energy were not implemented or followed. * Failure to follow OSHA and other safety regulations. * Worker and supervisor training in electrical safety was inadequate.
UPDATE, Newnan Yamaha plant fined over worker's death NEWNAN - A Yamaha Manufacturing plant received an $82,000 fine Wednesday for electrical hazards that led to a worker's death. Forty-six-year-old Eugene Pope died June first from an accident while he was doing electrical work at the plant. He suffered a fatal heart attack after he was struck with 480 volts of electricity. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the fine, saying that Pope was working on electrical equipment and power lines that had not been properly labeled and disconnected before work began. The fine included $63,000 for failing to label the equipment and an additional $25,000 for other safety failures, including not giving workers proper tools. Yamaha has 15 days to appeal the citation.
Accident spawns chain reaction Officials tackle five wrecks, two blazes and gas leak PORT CHARLOTTE -- A freak accident that injured two electrical workers Tuesday afternoon caused a bizarre domino effect of incidents -- a large power outage, five wrecks, a day care center fire, a gas leak, a house fire and an evacuation of several homes along Gardner Drive. Children were safely evacuated from the day care center, but the two male workers were flown to Lee Memorial Hospital. Remarkably, there were no other serious injuries caused by the accident's chain reaction. "It's really true that for every action there's a reaction," said Charlotte County Fire & EMS spokeswoman Dee Hawkins. "I don't think anything like this has happened in a long time." The events began around 3:20 p.m. Tuesday when two Florida Power & Light subcontractors from Pike Electric were shocked while working on a power line on Gardner Drive off U.S. 41. "Somehow, one of the workers made contact with the line ... he then made contact with the other worker," Hawkins said. Both were airlifted to the Fort Myers hospital. One worker suffered burns to his head, face and neck. The other was unconscious. At the hospital, both men were conscious and able to speak with relatives, said Charlotte County Sheriff's Cpl. Kenn Watson. According to WINK-TV, one of the men was transported to a burn unit in Tampa. A nursing supervisor at Lee Memorial said man named Ricky Messner was airlifted to the Fort Myers facility and later taken to a burn unit in Tampa. She could not say whether the man was involved in the Port Charlotte accident. This accident caused a large power outage in the Port Charlotte and Charlotte Harbor areas, affecting 1,857 customers, knocking out six traffic lights and contributing to five wrecks with two minor injuries, said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Allen Williams. Two Sheriff's deputies were involved in the wrecks, though neither suffered severe injuries. After the two electrical workers were hurt, the snapped power line began flopping around on Gardner Drive, hitting a day care center. The day care center, Karen's Kiddie Korrall, caught fire around 4 p.m. and all 24 kids were evacuated safely, Hawkins said. "The line just exploded -- all I could see was that line flopping," said witness Tammy Hight, who works nearby at Best Coast Insurance. "We helped get kids out (of the day care center). I'm very surprised we weren't hurt. We're just trying to regain our senses." Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze that burned portions of the roof and exterior of the day care center, located at 4021 Gardner Drive. "It's not a total loss," said Emergency Management Director Wayne Sallade. "There is no damage to the interior." After battling the day care center fire, officials were investigating the odor of gas coming from a nearby residence on the south end of Gardner. Things appeared to be winding down shortly before 4:45 p.m., and Fire Chief Dennis DiDio was getting ready to go home when a loud boom signaled another strange event. Firefighters running to investigate found black smoke and flames pouring from the residence where the gas odor had earlier been detected. A power line came across the house and caused the gas line to "pop or crack," Hawkins said. The house filled with gas, found an ignition source and exploded into flames. No one was inside the home at the time and no emergency workers were injured during the explosion or fire, Hawkins said. "They can't live in it," Hawkins said of the 4054 Gardner Drive residence. "It's gone. The inside is trashed." Residents along Gardner Drive were evacuated and several remained out of their homes for hours as officials continued to search for the gas leak. Around 8:15 p.m., the gas leak was contained and residents began returning to their residences. "It was pretty overwhelming," Hawkins said. "The crews did a really good job handling it, between the Sheriff's Office, Fire & EMS and the power company. "It's amazing how one event can chain react into so many other events," Hawkins added. Or, as one witness called it: "Murphy's Law."
Worker injured on job site Palm Beach Daily News Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2002 -- A construction worker was injured Tuesday when he came in contact with an electrical wire on a job at 238 Plantation Road, Palm Beach Police and Fire-Rescue said. The worker, West Palm Beach resident Rafael Ferreira, 27, was standing on a platform above a chimney when a section of steel building wire he was moving came in contact with the power line, said Fire-Rescue Lt. Pete Codispoti. He was taken by ambulance to St. Mary's Medical Center, said Palm Beach Police spokeswoman Janet Kinsella. There was initial concern about the need to turn off electricity in the vicinity but Florida Power & Light deemed a shutdown unnecessary, Kinsella said. Ferreira suffered an electrical exit wound between two of the toes on his left foot, Codispoti said. He was listed in fair condition Tuesday evening.
Father-son painting duo killed in electrical accident The Associated Press A father and son working as paint contractors died Tuesday in an apparent electrocution accident at the Dairy Fresh facility, police said. Charles Myers, 63, and Eric Myers, 37, were pronounced dead at 2:30 p.m., about an hour after the accident occurred, said Bill Land of the Houston County Sheriff's Department. Land said investigators believe Eric Myers was painting a storage silo when the hydraulic lift he was standing in made contact with a 12-kilowatt power line, knocking him to the ground. Charles Myers was electrocuted when he ran to his son's aid. It was unclear whether he was electrocuted by touching his son or the lift. Dothan Fire Department Capt. Ed Roberts said the jolt from the power line also ignited a fire in the lift's gasoline motor, badly burning both bodies. But Deputy Coroner Jack Persch said the men were dead before the fire. "I think they were dead immediately," Persch told The Dothan Eagle. "There's 12,000 volts going through that power line." Linda Brannon of Alabama Power said electricity for almost 200 customers was shut off so that firefighters could put out the fire. Investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration went to the scene Tuesday, but Land said the investigation was turned over to the sheriff's department because the Myers were contractors, not employees of Dairy Fresh.
Barge snags, damages electric cables with anchor November 19, 2002 Associated Press NORTHPORT, N.Y. -- Divers were working Tuesday to assess the damage caused to four underwater electric cables when a drifting barge dragged its anchor across them. The 138,000-volt power lines that transport electricity from Norwalk, Conn., to Northport under Long Island Sound were leaking 20 liters of dodecylbenzene per hour after they were hit Saturday, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection said. The chemical is an insulating fluid similar to mineral oil and is not expected to create health or safety hazards, environmental officials said. It was unclear exactly how much of the chemical leaked. The cables were immediately shut off after the DEP learned of the leak, environmental officials said. Divers were able to identify damage to three of the cables Tuesday, and they were scheduled to try and reach the fourth Wednesday, said Bert Cunningham, vice president of communications for the Long Island Power Authority. Dive teams will be working through the day and night, and a repair schedule is expected to be set by Thursday or Friday, Cunningham said. "The first step is try to ascertain the extent of the damage, and based on that come up with some type of repair strategy," he said. Officials said the barge's anchor hit the cables about 1.5 miles from Northport off Long Island. A weekend nor'easter forced the privately owned dredging barge into a westerly drift at about 3:45 p.m., environmental officials, Berlin, Conn.-based Northeast Utilities and the Long Island Power Authority told the Connecticut Post. The four lines, co-owned by Connecticut Light & Power and the LIPA, are part of a group of seven that are separated and spread out over about 2,100 feet along the floor of the sound just over a mile beyond Northport, officials said. Mitchell S. Gross, manager of transmission communications for Northeast Utilities, CL&P's parent company, said company workers noticed the damage Saturday night when the line tripped and went out of service. Richard Kessel, chairman of the LIPA, said the accident increases pressure to begin using a new 24-mile underwater cable between New Haven and the former Shoreham power plant on Long Island. The Long Island Power Authority has said it needs the 330-megawatt cable to alleviate possible power shortages on the island. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said the accident was another piece of evidence in the argument against the new cross-sound cable. "This unfortunate accident demonstrates how fragile Long Island Sound's ecological systems are, and that ill-conceived utility projects greatly threaten the sea bed," Blumenthal said.
Indonesia electro fisher stuns himself, drowns Wednesday, November 20, 2002 By Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia — An Indonesian man using a homemade stunning device to catch fish electrocuted himself and drowned, hospital officials and reports said Tuesday. Syahrul, 42, had attached electric cables to a diesel engine and was trailing them in the Mentaya River in Kalimantan on Sunday, the state news agency Antara reported. Syahrul, who goes by a single name, reportedly dipped his foot into the river and received an electric shock that jolted him into the water, the report said. Villagers later found his body. Hospital officials in the town of Sampit, where the accident took place, confirmed that Syahrul's body had been taken to a hospital but were unable to state the cause of his death. Indonesian fishers often resort to unconventional fishing methods — including electrocution, explosives, and poisons such as cyanide — to increase their haul. All three practices are widely blamed for depleting fish stocks and damaging the environment.
Couple electrocuted by rat trap in northern Vietnam HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - A farming couple in northern Vietnam were electrocuted by an electric trap they constructed to protect their rice seedlings from rats, local police said Monday. Pham Ngoc Thach died instantly when he stepped on the bare electric wires Thursday, and his wife was electrocuted when she tried to pull him away, a police officer in Binh Giang district of Hai Duong province said. Thach's mother found the bodies Friday morning, said the officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The couple had placed live electric wires around the field to stop rats from eating the seedlings, she said. The province is about 65 kilometers (40 miles) east of Hanoi. Several deaths from homemade electric rat traps are reported in Vietnam each year. Vietnamese farmers kill millions of rats every year. The rodent population has become a major problem since the mid 1980s, when their numbers boomed as a result of an expansion of crops and a shrinking population of predators such as cats and snakes, which are sold to restaurants in China. - AP
2 workers burned in power plant fire 2002-11-15 CHOUTEAU (AP) -- A flash fire at an eastern Oklahoma power plant burned two employees on Friday, officials said. The injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, said Charles Barney, assistant general manager of the Grand River Dam Authority's coal-fire generation plant. Both men were burned on their hands and one of the victims had burns on his face, Barney said. He said no one was blinded in the accident. Both men were taken to Tulsa's Hillcrest Medical Center. A cause has not been determined. "We're investigating so it won't happen again," Barney said. "This is an abnormal event." He said the fire happened at about 11:30 a.m. as the workers, both electricians, were doing routine maintenance on a piece of equipment. Barney said the blaze lasted about a quarter-second. He said the fire happened on auxiliary equipment so there were no interruptions at the plant which provides power to about a half-million people. Barney said utility officials are still trying to contact the employees' relatives, so their identities were not immediately released. The plant employs 210 workers.
Three firefighters injured battling overnight house fire By James Irby ABC13 Eyewitness News (11/15/02) — Three Houston firefighters are injured in a suspicious house fire. The fire broke out in a vacant house in southeast Houston on Corinth Street near Holmes around 2am. When fire crews arrived at the scene, they found the house fully engulfed. Arson investigators say the fire is suspicious because the home is vacant and the fire started near the front porch. The Houston fire department attacked the fire from all sides of the house. Three firefighters climbed up a ladder at the back of the home to get to some heavy flames coming from the attic. As crews were hitting the blaze with water from the front of the home, the chief says that's when the men sustained some kind of electrical shock near the back of the house. "We had two firefighters sustain electrical shock. Two of the firefighters are stable right now, but went in for observation. The third firefighter had a fast heart rate," said Charles Julian with the Houston Fire Department. That final firefighter is in stable condition and is still having some tests run. The other two firefighters are expected to be released from Memorial Hermann Hosptial Friday morning.
Girard worker hurt in flash fire By JOE NOGA A Girard city worker was injured Thursday while working on equipment at an electrical substation in Girard. Ken Bradshaw, power plant supervisor for more than 10 years, was working at a substation near Cherokee and Antelope Streets in Girard when he was injured by a flash fire. Bradshaw was taken to Via Christi Regional Medical Center's Burn Unit by MedFlight where he is listed in fair condition. A report of fair condition usually means that the patient's vital signs are stable and within the normal limits. It also means the patient is conscious but may be uncomfortable and that indicators are favorable. According to Mike West, Girard city manager, around 8:37 a.m. on Thursday, Bradshaw was working at a substation near the intersection of Cherokee and Antelope Streets in Girard while grounding an OCR to perform maintenance on the metering. "Basically, an OCR is a recloser," said West. "It's not a transformer but it is something that comes off the transformer." West said that in the process of grounding the equipment there was a fire flash on the OCR, injuring Bradshaw. "It is usually an arc between that OCR and the ground-grid," West said. Bradshaw was the only person injured at the scene. According to West, emergency crews responded after employees called 911. "One of the persons who was with him ran in and relayed the message to call 911 for medical assistance," West said. "The Girard Fire Department responded first and EMS followed and then he was taken to Girard Hospital." Bradshaw left Girard a short time later and was taken by MedFlight to Via Christi Regional Medical Center. Staff at the burn center said Thursday that Bradshaws burns were not severe and West said that he was taken there as a precautionary measure. No one else was injured in the incident.
UPDATE, Payout in electrocution case By KYLIE STOCKDALE A BABY boy who was born 24 days after his father died in a workplace accident on a poultry farm near El Arish will receive $20,000 from the property owners. Supreme Court judge Justice Kerry Cullinane ruled in Townsville this week that the money be paid to the Public Trustees and kept in an account for Samuel Frank Scarpignato, now three, until he turned 18. Legal documents filed to the Supreme Court show Samuel's father, Antonino Carmelo Angelo Scarpignato, 36, died from an electrical shock on March 13, 1999, after he came in contact with a live electrical wire on a chicken feeding machine at a property owned by Nathan James Mood. Mr Scarpignato was a self-employed excavator operator at the time and ran his business in partnership with his wife, Angelique. After an investigation into Mr Scarpignato's death it was found the incident was caused by negligence from Mr Mood or James Edward Mood. Their failure to maintain electrical equipment in safe condition on the property and provide a safe workplace breached the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995. Parties involved in the incident agreed Mrs Scarpignato and her son relied on Mr Scarpignato for income. A separate financial settlement for Mrs Scarpignato was previously reached between her and the property owners. The involved parties similarly settled on $20,000, being the amount to be paid to Samuel.
UPDATE, Long wait for answers in job death, After 16 months, inquest to probe workplace fatality Frances Barrick Torstar News Service KITCHENER — Sixteen months after Gerald Leader was electrocuted at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant in Cambridge, Lynn Leader still doesn't know how her former husband died. "I have never, ever heard why he died" from the Ontario Ministry of Labour, which investigated Leader's July 13, 2001, death, his ex-wife said. The 50-year-old Cambridge electrician was working on the plant's welding equipment when he was electrocuted. Leader said ministry officials never contacted her with results of their investigation, and now she has to spend $100 for a copy of their report — which may not be complete if the 11 people interviewed by the ministry don't give permission for Leader to have a copy of their statements. She requested the report in September and still hasn't received it. "I'm angry and frustrated," she said. "The way they (ministry officials) have treated me and my children, it's just terrible," she said. "It's just very insensitive. My kids have lost their father and they still don't know why," said Leader, who has a 15-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter. Ministry spokesperson Belinda Sutton said freedom of information legislation prevents her from "divulging any information" about this case. She did say the ministry followed its general procedure of contacting next-of-kin following the completion of an investigation and/or a decision not to lay charges. Leader said she welcomes the news that an inquest into her former husband's death will begin Dec. 9 in Kitchener. Under the Coroner's Act, an inquest is mandatory when a worker dies as a result of a workplace accident.
Utility worker electrocuted SIGNONSANDIEGO NEWS SERVICES November 5, 2002 SAN DIEGO – A utility worker died of an apparent electrical shock Tuesday while on a maintenance job about 80 feet up a Kearny Mesa transmission tower, authorities said. About 4 p.m., fellow crew members found the man hanging upside-down, suspended by his safety belt, near the top of the power-line support structure off the 6600 block of Convoy Court, according to San Diego police. They managed to lower the man to the ground, aided by arriving firefighters on ladder trucks, a dispatcher said. In about 40 minutes he was on the way to an air ambulance helicopter waiting in a nearby baseball field. Medics worked to revive him at the scene, but the man was pronounced dead a short time later at a hospital, SDPD Sgt. Tom Carmody said. Initial reports indicated the electrical lines the worker was servicing were carrying 160,000 volts at the time of the accident, the dispatcher said.
UPDATE, Explosion victim dies By Debra Kahn Staff writer Kurt Tassche, a 41-year-old electrical maintenance worker at the university, died this morning at Washington Hospital Center of injuries sustained in the explosion in the Physics Building on Sunday. A 24-year employee of the university, Tassche lived in College Park with his girlfriend of one year, who described him as "an unassuming redhead" who was a "fabulous electrician." Tassche was working on an electrical panel on the first floor of the building with four others when the explosion occurred, but was the only worker injured. The resulting fire blocked his exit for more than 10 minutes until he was rescued by firefighters and helicoptered to the hospital. He remained unconscious for six days in intensive care until his death. In addition to severe lung damage, exacerbated by the smoke's increased toxicity from the burning insulation, he suffered minor burns and scrapes. Also called "a go-in-and-get-the-job-done guy," Tassche was known for his dedication to his job. "He's that kind of guy where they'd be like 'Of course he's with us,' " said Tassche's girlfriend, Kristen Kamp. The direct cause of the explosion is not yet known; Tassche and the others were working on the panel because it had malfunctioned Oct. 26 after having been upgraded the day before in an attempt to meet the power requirements of the 53-year-old Physics Building. The accident cut off all electricity to the building, disrupting some experiments. The building is still without a permanent source of electricity in some locations, but classes will resume normal schedules Monday. University President C.D. Mote Jr. issued a statement on the university's website Saturday. "Kurt was a long-time, dedicated and skilled employee," Mote said. "He will be missed." Tassche is survived by his mother, who lives in Dunkirk, Md., his father, of Gaithersburg and a sister, who lives in Virginia.
BellSouth Worker Electrocuted Manav Tanneeru 10/30/2002 A BellSouth worker was reportedly electrocuted Wednesday afternoon, suffering burns on over 30 percent of his body. The electrical contractor was hired to do some work at the BellSouth switching station on 60 Oak Street in Roswell, Ga. He reportedly came into contact with a 480 volt electrical panel. He suffered second and third-degree burns on his face and chest. He was LifeFlighted to the Grady Memorial Hospital Burn Center.
Power line sends shock to worker, 2 hurt as boat mast hits high voltage PENOBSCOT - Two men were injured Thursday after the mast on a sailboat they were moving connected with a high-voltage power line just after noon. The two men, employed by Devereux Marine on Route 166, were taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. Bryan Smith of Bucksport, who is about 18 years old, appeared to have suffered the more severe injury, according to Hancock County Sheriff's Deputy Ken Mitchell. Smith's co-worker, William Stevenson, also of Bucksport, who Mitchell said was in his 30s, was not directly struck when the electrical current surged down the mast and sailboat. Mitchell did not think the injuries were life-threatening to either victim. "It certainly could have been a lot worse," he said. A nursing supervisor at EMMC said late Thursday night that Smith was in fair condition, and Stevenson had been treated and released. Mitchell said Smith was on the ground operating a small custom-built crane at the Devereux boatyard and Stevenson was posted on top of the boat when the mast connected with the 34,500-volt power line. Stevenson had let go of the mast just before it landed on the wires, but Smith was not so fortunate, Mitchell said. He said the electricity surged down the boat and burned through the crane wires and into the controller that was being held by Smith. Smith fell to the ground, with the controller still in hand, Mitchell said. Stevenson jumped off the boat, injuring his foot, as he rushed to help his friend. The LifeFlight helicopter was called to the scene, but turned back without landing at the recommendation of ambulance crews at the scene, Mitchell said. Mitchell said he didn't know why or how the sailboat mast was allowed to come into contact with the power lines. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration arrived at the scene later Thursday afternoon to investigate the workplace accident. A spokesman at the Bangor OSHA office declined to comment on the incident pending further investigation. Attempts to reach the owners of the marine company were unsuccessful. David Allen, spokesman for Central Maine Power Co., which services the Penobscot and Castine area, said the accident knocked out power to 1,600 customers for about two hours. Allen said the company was able to section off the area of the boatyard in order to restore power to all but 750 customers. Power service had been restored to all customers by late afternoon, Allen said. He said that while a typical residential power line carries between 4,000 and 12,000 volts of power, the lines running down Route 166 are high-voltage because they carry electricity for the entire peninsula. According to Mitchell, neighbors near the boatyard heard the accident and ran to the boatyard to help. They called police on cell phones.
Utility worker injured by electrical jolt By Rani Gupta, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer October 29, 2002 LAKE WORTH -- A Lake Worth Utilities Department worker was hospitalized Monday morning after being shocked while working on a power line. William Harrington of Lake Worth was flown to Delray Medical Center after receiving an electric shock while he repaired a power line at the intersection of 12th Avenue South and Pine Street, Utilities Director Patrick Miller said. Officials are investigating the incident to see whether Harrington touched the line or the current jumped to Harrington, which sometimes happens on humid days. Miller said all of Harrington's safety equipment was in place. The accident shut off power in parts of Lake Worth for about 15 minutes, Miller said. Harrington, who remained conscious while being treated by fire-rescue workers, is listed in critical condition.
Electrician burned on job improves The condition of an electrician who suffered severe electrical burns Thursday while working on a building expansion project at The Idaho Statesman has improved. Calvin Miller, who works for Power Plus Co. in Boise, was listed Monday in fair condition at the Intermountain Burn Trauma Center in Salt Lake City. Thursday, Miller was helping move inactive cables at The Statesman for a new elevator when a cable hit a live electrical source and grounded, causing a flash of electricity that burned him.
Worker Is Critically Injured in U-Md. Fire, Physics Building Suffers $250,000 In Damage By Mary Otto, Washington Post Staff Writer An electrical fire on the University of Maryland campus yesterday left one employee critically injured and caused an estimated $250,000 in damage to the John S. Toll Physics Building, authorities said. The fire started shortly before 11 a.m. in an electrical panel in a utility room in the physics building as five electrical services workers were installing a line, Prince George's County Fire and EMS spokesman Mark Brady said. Four of the workers managed to flee the building, but the fifth was trapped, Brady said. "Two university police officers made a valiant attempt to rescue him but were forced back by heat," Brady said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The officers were able to relay the man's exact location to Prince George's firefighters who arrived on the scene, Brady said. The worker, identified by a university official as Kurt Tassche, 44, was taken to the burn unit at Washington Hospital Center, where he remained in critical condition late yesterday. Three firefighters and a university police officer suffered from smoke inhalation, Brady said. They were transported to a hospital where they were treated and were expected to be released. The process of rescuing the worker and extinguishing the fire, which heavily damaged the first-floor electrical utility room, took about 15 minutes, Brady said. Crews remained on the scene throughout the day, monitoring and ventilating the building. Because the electricity in the entire structure was turned off, fire officials, accompanied by hazardous materials experts and university staff, walked through the lab to check on the safety of experiments that were in progress. "Some experiments, if allowed to overheat, could present a health concern," Brady said. No such problems seemed apparent by midafternoon, said Fred Welsh, chief of College Park Fire Station 12. The scientific validity of some experiments probably was compromised as a result of the power outage, said Physics Department Chairman Jordan Goodman. "Some will lose months of work," he said. But he added, "Someone was badly injured. The other things we'll deal with. We feel for the person who was hurt and his family." The building, still without power, will remain closed today, Goodman said.
Investigators Believe Electrocution Causes Workers Death By Patrick McLendon Fox News At Nine Associate Producer Police are waiting for autopsy results on a man they believe was electrocuted on the job, in east El Paso. Emergency crews were called to Steris Isomedix services, to help 28 year old Willie Garcia. Instigators believe Garcia was working on a control panel when he shocked; he later died at Del Sol Medical Center. The police are investigating Grcia's death, but do believe it was an industrial accident.
Two Workers Injured In Construction Accident Two construction workers suffered burns after one of them accidentally hit a power line with a metal object. Both workers were taken to UMC yesterday. The men were working on a house when the accident happened Friday afternoon. One of the men fell about 20 feet to the ground and suffered third-degree burns to his chest, face and arm. The other man also was burned and went into shock. Power was shut off in the area of West Charleston and Rancho for about a half-hour.
36,000-Volt Charge Critically Injures Roofer, Victim's Body Burned More Than 30 Percent October 22, 2002 LOS ANGELES -- A roofer was critically burned Tuesday by an electrical current of up to 36,000 votes, authorities said. The accident occurred when some metal he was removing from a Glassell Park building came in contact with an electrical transformer. The 35-year-old man was atop a single-story commercial building in the 4000 block of Eagle Rock Boulevard when the accident occurred shortly before noon, said Brian Humphrey of the city fire department. The electrical current that injured the man was "up to 36,000 volts," Humphrey said. Paramedics reported that the man suffered first-, second- and third-degree electrical burns over more than 30 percent of his body, Humphrey said. The circumstances of the accident were under investigation.
Contractor Shocked ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - A contractor was shocked by 480 volts of electricity when he accidentally touched a live wire at the Rochester School for the Deaf, authorities said. The 31-year-old man, who was not identified, was hurt Monday after drilling into a wall, Rochester Fire Department Capt. Dan McBride said. The man made it out of the building on his own, McBride said. The accident started a small fire. About 25 students were in a dining hall, two floors up from a boiler room where the electrical fire occurred, school spokeswoman Nisha Ferry said. The children were evacuated after the fire alarm sounded and were dispersed to other buildings on campus, Ferry said. The man suffered third-degree burns to his right hand and was treated at Rochester General Hospital, Rural-Metro Ambulance officials said.
Worker shocked by 480 volts Democrat and Chronicle (October 22, 2002) — An unidentified contractor was injured in an electrical fire Monday morning at the Rochester School for the Deaf, 1545 St. Paul St. The man was working on an electrical tray in a building that also houses the cafeteria and infirmary when he was shocked by a 480-volt line, said Rochester Fire Department Capt. Dan McBride. The man made it out of the building on his own, McBride said. School spokeswoman Nisha Ferry said about 25 students were in a dining hall, two floors up from a boiler room where the electrical fire occurred at 11:30 a.m. The fire alarm was activated and the children evacuated the building and were sent to other buildings on campus. Officials did not release the name or the condition of the injured contractor. Power was expected to be turned on Monday night, with classes resuming today as scheduled.
UPDATE, Arcing circuit breaker blamed for Nucor injury October 21, 2002 NORFOLK, Neb.- A circuit breaker that unexpectedly arced was blamed for an electrical flash at the Nucor Steel plant that left one person critically injured. The accident happened around 6 p.m. Saturday at the plant's No. 2 rolling mill that is in the process of being upgraded, company officials said Monday. Jeremy Monk, a 28-year-old worker from Martinsville, Ind., was transported to Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk and later flown by helicopter to St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Lincoln. He was listed in critical condition Monday at the burn center. Monk is employed by Interstates Electric of Sioux Center, Iowa, which had contracted with Nucor to do electrical work as part of an upgrade project, said Dave Crumrine, company president. "He was one of the most safety-driven people around. It's unimaginable that this could have happened," Crumrine said. The company was trying to determine what caused the arc, Crumrine said. "It's a very unusual occurrence," he said. Contrary to initial reports, the electrical flash did not cause a fire or an explosion, Crumrine said. However, it did lead to some sparks and smoke, he said.
Worker burned in Norfolk explosion BY SHANNON HENSON WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER NORFOLK, Neb. - A man was critically injured in an industrial accident late Saturday at Nucor Steel, authorities said Sunday. The 28-year-old, whose identity was not released, was being treated at St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln. He suffered third-degree burns over more than 25 percent of his body, including his arms and face. It was unclear what happened. The man was hired by a subcontractor, Interstate Electric based in Sioux Center, Iowa, authorities said. Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger said another worker was treated at a local hospital and was released. No damage was done to the plant, said John Bass, division controller. "Our prayers go out to this individual and his family," Bass said. Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Department will investigate.
City construction worker electrocuted 2002-10-21 By Ken Raymond The Oklahoman An Oklahoma City construction worker died Monday morning after coming into contact with a high-voltage power line. About 9:40 a.m., Mark Tiger, 35, was moving steel beams with a mini-crane at a construction site near 2010 SW 10, said Paul O'Leary, EMSA spokesman. As the crane moved through a soggy, muddy field, one of the beams struck the power line, sending a surge of electricity through Tiger's body. "I don't know where it went in," O'Leary said, "but it exited his feet." When firefighters arrived, Tiger was in full cardiac arrest, and attempts to revive him failed, O'Leary said. Paramedics managed to generate a heartbeat, but the rhythm was unstable, and when the victim reached OU Medical Center, he was pronounced dead. "He probably had internal injuries," O'Leary said. "When you're hit with that kind of current, it often burns internal organs, and even though you can get a heartbeat, the damage inside is severe." Several of Tiger's coworkers from Rogers Construction were present but uninjured.
Worker dies at Mtarfa by Charlotte Bonavia, di-ve news Monday, 21 October, 2002 He fell off the roof of a garage following an electricity shock Rabat, MALTA (di-ve news) -- A 31-year-old Birkirkara man died after falling off a garage’s roof at Triq il-Maqdes Ruman, Mtarfa following an electricity shock while working with concrete, this evening at 1800 CET. An ambulance was called on site and took the man to St. Luke’s Hospital where he died an hour later. Duty Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima was informed about the case and appointed various experts to assist in the inquiry. Rabat District Police are investigating.
Cambridge man is electrocuted October 17, 2002 CAMBRIDGE - A Cambridge man was electrocuted Tuesday while installing metal guttering on a home at 800 Glasgow St. Keith Phillips of Cambridge, was installing metal guttering when one piece of guttering he was holding accidentally made contact with an electric power line, according to Cambridge police. Cambridge EMS and Cambridge police responded to the scene and transported Phillips to Dorchester General Hospital. Phillips died as a result of his injuries. The incident is being investigated by Maryland Occupation Safety and Health.
Wastewater plant fire injures three BY JOE KOLMAN WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER An electrical fire at the Papillion Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant injured three workers and will keep the facility out of order for at least a few days. As a result, the City of Omaha is discharging about 55 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Missouri River daily. Workers were inspecting a malfunction at the plant when the fire started about 3 p.m. Friday, Acting Public Works Director Norm Jackman said Saturday. Two of the employees were treated and released, Jackman said, but the other remains under care for third-degree burns to his arms. "I think it was a pretty scary deal for a lot of people," said Jackman, who declined to release the names of the workers. The plant at 15705 Harlan Lewis Road in Bellevue is not processing any sewage, Jackman said, but treatment is expected to resume by Tuesday. He said the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality was informed of the situation. The city issued an advisory against wading or swimming in the Missouri for several miles downstream from the confluence of the Missouri and Papillion Creek.
Electrical worker killed Frank Hammon A Rappahannock Electric Cooperative lineman was fatally injured by an electrical contact this morning while working in Spotsylvania County. The employee, 35-year-old Clarence Jeter of Caroline County, was performing routine work when the incident occurred. Co-workers trained in first aid immediately provided assistance. He was rushed to Mary Washington Hospital for additional medical care, but was pronounced dead. The incident which occurred in the Paytes area is under investigation by REC's safety officer and state and local officials.
OSHA investigates apparent electrocution Associated Press October 16, 2002 WATERTOWN, Conn. -- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the electrocution of a 45-year-old Middletown man at a cable manufacturing plant. Daniel Breault was found unresponsive Monday at The Siemon Co., where he was working as a subcontractor on an electrical panel that adjusts the speed of a large compressor at the plant, police said. "Apparently his arm was in contact with an electrical wire," police Lt. Robert Desena said. The chief medical examiner's office determined that Breault was electrocuted and ruled his death accidental. A Siemon employee found Breault near the loading dock. He was not breathing, police said. Rescue crews tried to revive him for 15 minutes before doctors took over. Seimon officials referred questions to company lawyer William Cass of Bloomfield, who declined comment.
Worker at BWI dies while using jackhammer By A Sun Staff Writer Originally published October 16, 2002 A construction worker at Baltimore-Washington International Airport died yesterday - apparently electrocuted while operating a jackhammer, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Aviation Administration said. Ernest Oden Jones, 52, of the 1800 block of Copeland St. in the Bywater Estates Apartments in Annapolis was working in a trench across from the passenger terminal's lower level about 1:30 p.m. when he collapsed onto the jackhammer, said spokeswoman Cheryl Carley. Paramedics and police officers attempted to revive Jones before he was taken by ambulance to North Arundel Hospital. He was pronounced dead there at 2:30 p.m. Authorities were awaiting an autopsy.
Three men hospitalized after electrical explosion Herald News Services An electrical explosion early Saturday injured three workers at a downtown office tower. The accident happened at 11:50 a.m. shortly after the annual electrical shutdown began at Fifth Avenue Place, 425 1st St. S.W. The power was supposed to be off in the 35-storey building for the entire long weekend, beginning at midnight Friday. An explosion was reported 50 minutes later and paramedics were dispatched to treat several patients. Calgary Emergency Medical Services transported three men to Foothills Hospital. No details were available regarding the nature or extent of the men's injuries. Jennifer LaFitte, tenant relations co-ordinator for Brookfield Properties, which owns the building, refused to comment.
Foreman is sentenced to jail in construction worker’s death The foreman for a construction company who pleaded guilty to causing a Toledo worker’s death was sentenced to a year in jail and ordered to pay fines and court costs totaling $1,160. James Morrin, Jr., of Temperance, foreman for J.A. Concrete Construction Co. of Toledo, appeared before Monroe County Circuit Judge Joseph Costello Thursday. He began serving 359 days of the sentence - he received one day of credit, and the judge did not order the remaining five days, said Vanessa Longsworth, court spokeswoman. The judge also ordered J.A. Concrete to pay $145,593 to the victim’s family in restitution and $8,745 in fines and court costs. The company will be on probation for five years and perform 180 days of community service, Ms. Longsworth said. Morrin pleaded guilty in July to one count of willful criminal violation of Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration work site safety rules. The company entered a no-contest plea to the same charge as well as to one count of involuntary manslaughter as part of a plea agreement. The charges resulted from the August 2000, death of Robert Sorge, 24. He was backing his raised dump truck through the interior of a strip mall being built in Dundee, guided from behind by Morrin, when the top of the box touched a power line. When Mr. Sorge opened his cab door to escape the ensuing fire, he was killed by electric shock, police said.
Transformer explosion injures 2 Saturday, October 12, 2002 By Michaelangelo Conte Journal staff writer Two Jersey City workers suffered burns and were hospitalized after a transformer they were working on in the Heights exploded yesterday, officials said. The accident occurred while Jersey City Municipal Utility Authority employees Joe Bruno and Edward Morales were working on an above-ground electrical transfer vault on Congress Street at Paterson Plank Road at 1:39 p.m., said Fire Department Deputy Director Jose Cruz. Apparently, one of the tools the men were using came in contact with an electrical cable and the resulting short circuit caused a transformer in the vault to explode, Cruz said. The men suffered burns on their hands, arms and faces and were taken to the Jersey City Medical Center where they were admitted, said Cruz, adding that the burns were not life threatening.
A near disaster as PG&E lines collapse By Andrew Pridgen With a flurry, of sparks, fire, and explosions, a 12,000-volt PG&E line collapsed in Point Reyes Station at 4:30 p.m. Friday, leaving a key intersection tangled in live electrical wires. The high-voltage lines came close to electrocuting a 17-year-old bicyclist, Leroux Prater who lives near the intersection, and did strike a car being driven by a pregnant motorist, Jennifer Sulprizio of Inverness. However, Sulprizio and her two-year-old son in the backseat of her car were not injured because the BMW’s rubber tires prevented the electricity from grounding. Prater, was at Greenbridge Gas and Auto when a tranformer on a pole by the air-and-water station began sparking. He and others in the area gathered – seemingly at a safe distance – to watch the sparking when numerous overhead lines criss-crossing the intersection of Highway 1 and Mesa Road fell to the ground almost simultaneously. A strip of heavy insulation landed on the head of the youth, who threw himself from his bicycle just as a 12,000-volt line missed his head by a foot and landed on the ground where it started sparking. "That thing came so close to hitting me!" he exclaimed afterward. As it happened, a Shoreline schoolbus was trapped by the falling lines, but only the driver was onboard and not was hurt. Explaining what apparently occurred, PG&E spokesman Lloyd Coker and utility workers at the scene said a workman in a cherry picker had overly loosened a line uphill from the Creamery Building during a maintenance project. The worker apparently failed to realize how much tension power poles downhill were putting on the the line, and when the line was loosened it snapped, causing crossbars to drop from the downhill poles. PG&E workers quickly shut off power in the immediate area as they put the fallen wires back on poles. "Since crews were already there working, all repairs were completed within an hour – by 5:25 p.m.," said Coker. "A phone line was also taken down, and we called them to send a crew to fix their line as well." The mishap was only one of three this past week in which PG&E lines fell. The other two both occurred Saturday: one on Highway 1 in Marshall and the other at Dillon Beach and Middle roads in Tomales. Both incidents were caused by vehicles running into power poles.
Electrical accident kills man Palatka Daily News An investigation into the electrocution death of a 37-year-old Keuka area resident is ongoing. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office and the area Medical Examiner's Office in St. Augustine are investigation the Sunday death of Amick Alexander Whitfield. According to a sheriff's office report, Whitfield was using a makeshift tool to restore power to his residence when the tool came into contact with high voltage power lines. Whitfield was standing on top of an aluminum ladder, which had been placed in the bed of his pickup truck. He was attempting to close a fuse on the power pole which supplied electricity to his residence when the incident occurred around 6:40 p.m. Sunday. Power to the residence had been cut off by Florida Power & Light at an earlier date, according to the report. Whitfield lived at 200 Vancouver Road off Keuka Road west of Interlachen. Detective Dell Parker said it appears the incident was an accidental death. The investigation will continue until all pertinent facts have been gathered, according to Parker.
Farm equipment hits power line; man dies St. Joseph News-Press CHULA, Mo. — A rural Livingston County man was electrocuted Monday after a piece of farm equipment he was moving accidentally struck overhead power lines. Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox said 56-year-old Lloyd Clifton Drake of Chula, Mo., was pronounced dead by county coroner J. Scott Lindley. Mr. Cox said the sheriff’s department received a call at 10:22 a.m. regarding a man needing emergency medical assistance on a rural farm. He said Mr. Drake had been moving a grain auger when the incident occurred. The Linn County Sheriff’s Department, the Chillicothe Department of Emergency Services, Chula Fire Department and local first responders assisted the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department in investigating the incident.
UPDATE, VisionQuest to challenge OSHA penalties An organization that operates programs for youthful male and female offenders will challenge penalties leveled by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration following the death of an employee, an official said. VisionQuest, which operates programs in Arizona, Florida, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Colorado, faces $126,000 in penalzties for two willful violations and five serious violations, OSHA said. The violations follow the February death of maintenance worker Bradley E. Rhodes, 20, of Utica, who died after he was shocked by a 19,000-volt power line at VisionQuest's Franklin campus. He was injured when he tried to remove a pair of shoes that had been thrown onto a power line. VisionQuest doesn't dispute that the accident happened, but Rhodes was not asked to remove the shoes from the power line, said Beth Ann Rosica, vice president for research and development at VisionQuest in Coatesville, Chester County. "Under OSHA, we have the right to challenge the citations, and we are in the process of challenging all of the citations," Rosica said. The process could take up to a year. The organization faces willful violations because it allowed unqualified employees to work near electrical lines with a backhoe, said OSHA, which filed the violations in August. According to OSHA, willful violations are those committed with an intentional disregard of or indifference to the administration's requirements. While OSHA was investigating Rhodes' death, it found other problems at the facility, include unguarded machinery and improperly storage of compressed gas cylinders, the agency said. VisionQuest also faces sanctions for those alleged violations. "We are committed to employee safety. We are very saddened about the death of Brad and we're working on a comprehensive safety plan. We've always had one, but we are reanalyzing it to make sure employees work in a safe work environment," Rosica said.
Construction worker electrocuted MURFREESBORO (AP) -- One construction worker was electrocuted and another critically injured Wednesday when the equipment they were working on touched a group of high-voltage power lines, fire officials said. The men, working on a Thompson Lane construction site, were operating a drill when its tip hit the power lines above them, said Lionel Holladay, a driver engineer for the Murfreesboro Fire Department. That caused the power line to arch against the equipment and break in half. Firefighters quickly put out a small grass fire sparked when the line fell. One man was pronounced dead at the scene. The other was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where he was in critical condition Wednesday evening. Officials refused to identify either man until their families are notified.
Marshall man electrocuted while working (Schoolcraft-AP, October 4, 2002, 8:30 a.m.) A Marshall man was fatally electrocuted Thursday while working on a home in Schoolcraft. Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Department officials say 41 year-old Keith Eugene Keiper died when a 32 foot aluminum ladder he was carrying hit a power line. He was pronounced dead at the scene by South County Ambulance and Schoolcraft Rescue personnel.
Electrocution claims construction worker By SCHERI SMITH, Staff Writer One man was killed and another was critically injured today after the construction equipment they were operating made contact with an overhead power line in Murfreesboro. The 3 p.m. accident caused nearly 2,000 people to be without power for a couple hours this afternoon, said Chris Jones, spokesman for Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corp. The victims' names were unavailable tonight. The man who survived was in critical condition, said Bill Snyder, spokesman for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Jones said the men were part of a crew hired by developers planning to build a new shopping center off Thompson Lane, on land that had once been proposed as the site of Murfreesboro's publicly built ''commerce center'' complex. The men were using a machine called a track drill to dig holes when the machine's arm came into contact with a power line. ''Generally most of our power lines carry about 14,400 volts,'' he said. ''I know the human body cannot tolerate that much electricity.'' Murfreesboro Mayor Tommy Bragg would not comment on the accident because he had not heard about it this evening. Jones said power was rerouted and restored about two hours after the accident. Scheri Smith covers Rutherford County for The Tennessean. She can be reached at 259-8094 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Investigation Looks Into Electrocution Of Workers; Police Find Men Dead In Lift Bucket MERIDEN, Conn. -- Federal investigators are trying to determine how two men were electrocuted while working on a utility vehicle at a city building. Meriden police said the two men were power-washing bricks on the Stoddard Municipal Building on Miller Street Wednesday. They were in a bucket that rises from the truck. "They were power washing with water, and we're not sure if the bucket hit the line or water arched and hit the line," said Sgt. Leonard Caponigro. The bucket was not touching any wires when rescuers arrived, fire officials said. Police identified the workers as Eugeno Torres, 47, and Hector Leon, 50, both of New Haven, who were pronounced dead at the scene. The men worked for Milestone Restoration Inc., of New Haven. The contractor had been working for about two months repairing brickwork at the city building. Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were investigating. Firefighters responded at about 4:30 p.m. to a call saying that two workers needed help, Caponigro said. The two men were the only members of the power washing crew. Rescuers could not resuscitate the workers, Caponigro said. "When we got there, the construction basket was up, the pressure washer hose was dangling, the men were down inside the basket and primary wires were probably a foot overhead," fire Capt. Mark Graber said. An hour before the call, a passer-by saw the two men in the raised bucket and thought they were sleeping. Cathy Antonetty said one worker had his face in his hands and the other was slumped over. She said she yelled up to the bucket in Spanish to ask Torres and Leon if they were sleeping. Neither responded. "It didn't look right, but I thought they were taking a nap," Antonetty said. Beth Vumbaco, director of the city's Health and Human Services Department, located in the Stoddard building, described Torres and Leon as nice men who were hard workers. Rich Hansen, manager of customer operations for Connecticut Light & Power Inc., said the lines that run through the alley produce up to 4,800 volts. The average plug in a house puts out 120 volts.
UPDATE, Contractor pays fine for Brentwood accident By Jan Ackerman, Post-Gazette Staff Writer A Castle Shannon masonry company paid a $2,800 fine to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for a citation issued after a crane operator was critically injured at a job site at a Brentwood shopping center project this summer. Marsa Inc. paid the fine last month to settle a citation filed by OSHA after Dale Haslett, 29, of South Park, was critically burned and two other construction workers were slightly injured after a scaffold being moved by a crane on June 25 came in contact with a high voltage power line. OSHA assistant area director Edward Selker said the federal agency imposed a $4,000 fine, but reduced it to $2,800 after an informal settlement conference last month. The company was fined for moving a scaffold closer than 10 feet to an energized power line. At about 10:42 a.m. on June 25, workers from Marsa were moving a tower scaffold when it came close enough to a 138,000-volt power line that the line arced and sent large bolts of electricity to the ground. Haslett, who suffered second- and third-degree burns over 60 percent of his body, remained at Mercy Hospital until Aug. 3. Two other workers, Joseph Scott Taylor, 35, of Charleroi, and Christopher Guty, 22, of Uniontown, were treated and released on June 26, Mercy Hospital spokeswoman Linda Ross said.
Iowa farmer and son killed in accident AP A northeast Iowa farmer and his son have died in an accident on their farm near Allison in Butler County. The sheriff's office says 52-year old Harlan Steere and his 18-year old son, Brock, were electrocuted Tuesday morning while moving a grain auger. Officials say they were moving the machine by hand when it touched a power line. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Man treated for electrical burns A 47-year-old Baltimore man was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Friday morning for injuries he received when he apparently touched electrical equipment on the roof of a hangar at the former Fairchild Aircraft plant, said Philip Ridenour, fire chief at the Hagerstown Regional Airport. The victim's name and condition were not available Friday night. He suffered third-degree burns on his hands and neck and second-degree burns on his face and chest, Ridenour said. He was conscious when emergency crews arrived on the scene and when he arrived at the Baltimore hospital, Ridenour said. He was placed in the burn unit, Ridenour said. He was working inside an electrical substation when the accident occurred, Ridenour said. Airport workers on a nearby roof said they saw smoke coming from the substation. Rescuers at the scene said the victim may have been hit with a 15,000-volt electrical surge. The man was employed by a Baltimore company hired to work on the roof. Weather conditions Friday morning grounded state police helicopters. The victim was taken to the hospital by ambulance. An Allegheny Power crew was called to the scene to restore power, a utility company spokeswoman said.
Former Morenci city officer dies in electrical accident DiCenso’s ladder hits power line on the job MORENCI, Mich. - A former police officer who battled this city for more than a year to keep his job died of electrical shock yesterday when his metal ladder accidentally touched an overheard power line. Pasquel Joseph DiCenso, 53, who started a roofing company after leaving law enforcement last year, was trying to avoid the power line when the accident occurred, a co-worker told Lenawee County sheriff’s deputies. Morenci is in southern Lenawee County, about 40 miles northwest of Toledo. The news surprised officials in the small town where Mr. DiCenso worked as a police officer for about 20 years. "We’re clearly all upset here," said Renee Schroeder, the city’s clerk/administrator. Mr. DiCenso’s relationship with the city soured in September, 1999, after he parked his truck in front of the Fairfield Township hall, temporarily preventing an ambulance from responding to a minor accident. According to Lenawee County sheriff’s department officials, Mr. DiCenso said he blocked the vehicle because he was angry that one of the firefighters may have cut him off earlier on the road. He was charged in Lenawee County District Court with interfering with a firefighter and suspended from the department without pay. On Feb. 25, 2000, Mr. DiCenso was sentenced to one year of probation, ordered to perform 80 hours of community service, and fined $350 after pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charge. Shortly after the court case, the Morenci City Council fired him only to reinstate him in April, 2001, after a state arbitrator ruled against the council’s decision. He left the department in 2001, when the city bought out his contract, allowing him to retire. Mr. DiCenso was at a work site on Morey Highway in Medina Township yesterday at the time of the 7:25 a.m. accident. He was later pronounced dead at Bixby Medical Center. No funeral information was available yesterday.
Carpenter Is Electrocuted By Rocco Parascandola, Staff Writer A carpenter changing ceiling tiles at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine was fatally electrocuted Friday afternoon, police said. Christpher DeMayo, 32, was on a ladder in a hallway on the fourth floor when he came in contact with wiring for an exit sign, police said. The electrical bolt sent him sprawling to the ground. Doctors rushed to his aid, but he was pronounced dead a short time later at the Jack D. Weiler hospital next door. DeMayo, who lived in Duchess County and was married with two children, worked at the college of medicine for 13 years. “The accident is being looked into very carefully,’’ said spokeswoman Karen Gardner. “It’s a very upsetting tragedy for us.
An accident near Hagerstown this morning By Natasha Ginsburg HAGERSTOWN, MD SEPTEMBER 27 - An electrical accident near Hagerstown Regional Airport has sent a man to the hospital. The incident happened around 9:30 Friday morning at the Top Flight Airport near Hagerstown Regional Airport. The man, who is said to be a roofing contractor, was working on the roof at the time of the accident. Fire and rescue officials had two ladder trucks on the scene, one to take up the equipment and one to take the victim down. Phil Ridenour of Hagerstown Regional Airport gave a synopsis on how the incident occured. "Electricity will follow the path of least resistance, and in this case, you never know. It could have been because of the rain, he was wet, it followed the outside of his clothing rather than the internal part of his body and I wouldn't really likely say for sure but he's a very lucky man. For the amount of power that's coming into the facility, he's very lucky." The victim was taken to the hospital with first-degree burns to his hands and face. Rescue workers said the man was conscious and talking the whole time.
UPDATE, Firefighter nearly electrocuted returns to light duty in Tulare By Luis Hernandez, For the Times-Delta TULARE -- Eight months after he was nearly electrocuted and sustained several third-degree burns while on duty, Tulare firefighter Luis Nevarez has returned to work. I am happy to be back at my home away from home," Nevarez said. Assigned to light duty, Nevarez, a 10-year firefighter, will split his time between fire prevention and fire suppression. While working with the prevention division, Nevarez will help in the office. But when working for the suppression division, Nevarez will train with on-duty firefighters, practicing the duties he'll have to perform before he can return to full duty. "That's my ultimate goal," said Nevarez, who went back to work Monday. Because of the injuries sustained in the January accident, Nevarez lost his left hand and sustained third-degree burns on his back, legs and the finger tips of his right hand. Some of the wounds are still healing, he said. Nevarez sustained the injuries when he inadvertently touched a downed power line. Nevarez, along with Mark Fernandes and Pat Marquez, responded to a call about power lines down. Nevarez said he was called over by a resident because leaves on a tree were smoldering. Nevarez, who is right-handed, said he first reached with his right hand to break off a branch and then with his left to snap off another. The second branch was touching the power line, Nevarez said. "I didn't see it," he said. Nevarez was knocked down, still holding the power line, and Fernandes, instinctively, used his clipboard to knock the power line from Nevarez's hand. Nevarez said Fernandes saved his life. "To me, Mark is the hero," Nevarez said. Burned in his memory Nevarez said he remembers everything about his accident. He remembers being put onto a carrying board paramedics brought out to carry him; he remembers telling a fellow firefighter to take him to Kaweah Delta Hospital; he remembers telling medical personnel to give him a 7-Up instead of medication; he remembers the pain he felt after touching the power line. Nevarez spent 33 days at University Medical Center burn unit in Fresno, undergoing several surgeries. While Nevarez was at the hospital, firefighters from several departments visited him. His parents drove up from the Los Angeles area to spend time with him. "My parents have been with me since day one," Nevarez said. When he was released from the hospital, friends and family welcomed him back. They hung a big banner that read "Welcome home, Luis." Grateful for support "Everybody has been real supportive," he said. "I want to thank everybody." Nevarez started his rehabilitation a few days after being released from the hospital and it still continues. First, he had to learn how to operate a prosthesis. Now, he is working to gain back strength and weight. He works on rehabilitation about an 1 1/2 hours three times a week. He says he has tried to keep a positive attitude throughout his rehabilitation but there have been some hard times. "I might get depressed sometimes," he said. "But I know I have to snap out of it." Fire Capt. Ken Dodson said he doesn't doubt that Nevarez can make a full return. "Lou has the perfect attitude," Dodson said. "He not only is mentally strong, but also physically strong. He can do it." Nevarez vowed to return. "This still has a happy ending," he said.
Country Energy worker struck by lightning THE Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service yesterday transported an 18-year-old Gilgandra man to Tamworth Base Hospital after he was struck by lightning. The man and a colleague were in a cherry picker installing insulation to electrical wires for Country Energy about 30km east of Coonabarabran when lightning struck the wires at about 10am. Although the wires were not connected, a single wire was resting on the cherry picker bucket while they attached the insulation and it conducted electricity from a strike nearby. The man was not hit directly by the strike, however ambulance officers were concerned about possible internal injuries indicated by external bruising on his thighs. A Westpac Rescue Helicopter spokesperson said while it was not immediately obvious, lightning strikes had the potential to damage internal organs and result in their failure. The patient arrived in Tamworth about 12.30pm in a stable condition.
Electrical worker OK after short-circuit, trip to hospital BY JOE DEJKA, WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER An underground cable carrying 13,800 volts of electricity short-circuited at an Omaha power substation Thursday, sending a worker to a hospital. A crew was excavating shortly after noon to replace cables at the Omaha Public Power District substation at 60th Street and Sorensen Parkway. The 27-year-old worker for Omaha Boring, a subcontractor of Nielsen Construction, was not seriously injured, according to spokesmen for the district and the company. "They told me he was fine, other than he was pretty shook up," said Jim Nielsen, president of Nielsen Construction. "They took him to the hospital as a precaution." The man was treated at Immanuel Medical Center and was released. Workers were aware of the live cable, which might have been faulty, Nielsen said. Mike Jones, a power district spokesman, said that doing such excavation around a live cable was normal procedure. Jones said he was not sure if the existing cable was in poor condition or if the excavation equipment came into contact with it. After the accident, the district shut off power to the substation from 12:24 p.m. to 12:44 p.m. as a safety precaution. The outage affected homes between 48th and 55th Streets, from Pratt Street to Kansas Avenue.
Carrollton man electrocuted on job site By: Jennifer Minyard, Staff Writer Services for a Carrollton man who was electrocuted on a job site Monday will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Williams & Lord Funeral Home. James Louis "Chad" Chadwick III, 21, a sheet metal technician for Central Heating & Air in Grenada, was installing an air conditioner in Charleston home when he came into contact with electrical wiring in the attic, Harry D. Lehman Jr., owner of the company, told the Daily Sentinel-Star in Grenada. The accident was reported at 2:37 p.m., and Chadwick was taken to Tallahatchie General Hospital, where he died less than two hours later. A second employee, James Pratt, also received a slight shock but was in good condition Tuesday. Two Charleston firefighters attempting to rescue Chadwick also received slight shocks. Lehman had been on the site with Chadwick and Pratt but had left about 10 minutes before the accident occurred. "Everyone told me that everything happened really fast," he said. Chadwick had been employed by Central Heating & Air since Sept. 4, 2001. Lehman said Chadwick's wife, Ashley, told him how much her husband loved his job. "He was a very hard worker and had a great personality," said James O. Johnson, office manager for the company. A native of Louisiana, Chadwick had been a resident of Greenwood and Carrollton for most of his life. He was a 1999 honor graduate of Greenwood High School and attended Mississippi Delta Community College. He enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was a member of Winona Community Baptist Church. He is survived by his wife, Ashley Ellis Chadwick of Carrollton; his mother and stepfather, Robin Goss Dunn and Johnny Dunn of Greenwood; his father and stepmother, James Louis Chadwick Jr. and Belinda Chadwick of Chattanooga, Tenn.; three sisters, Desiree Chadwick, Rebecca Chadwick and Laura Chadwick, all of Chattanooga; a brother, Robert Chadwick of Greenwood; two stepsisters, Betty Dunn and Tabitha Dunn, both of Greenwood; one stepbrother, Johnny Dunn of Greenwood; his grandparents, Ray Evans and Betty Evans of Itta Bena, and James Louis Chadwick Sr. and Mary Ann Chadwick of West Helena, Ark.; and a great-grandmother, Ophelia Gregg of Itta Bena. The Rev. Dennis McKay and the Rev. Eddie Carpenter will officiate at the services. Burial will be in Providence Cemetery in Carroll County. Pallbearers will be Robbie Chadwick, Daniel Vest, Tommy Horne, James Turner, Jason Benstead, Jamie Langley, Johnny Dunn and Ricky Mann. Visitation will be from 5 until 8 this evening at the funeral home.
INQUIRY AT FACTORY AFTER WORKER DIES BY JONATHAN SMART An inquest was opening today into the death of an engineer who was electrocuted at a Notts factory. Brian Pemberton died at Carnaudmetalbox Aerosols in Oddicroft Lane, Sutton-in-Ashfield, on Monday morning. Mr Pemberton, 42, of Henning Lane, Sutton, was found by colleagues after collapsing next to a metal cabinet in a factory workshop. He was pronounced dead at the scene by doctors. The factory was closed for two days while officials from the Health and Safety Executive inspected the site. It reopened on Wednesday. A spokesman for the HSE said: "Two inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive have visited the factory and a full investigation is under way. "At the moment, we are gathering information about the incident before we decide what steps to take next. "The investigation will be carried out to establish exactly how the accident happened and also if the company has safe working practices in place. "It appears the man died after suffering an electric shock but we have no other details about this incident." Rebecca Dack, sales manager at Carnaudmetalbox, said: "There was a tragic incident on Monday morning at our plant in Sutton-in-Ashfield which resulted in the death of a member of our engineering staff. "We are co-operating fully with the authorities to ensure we find out exactly what happened. "At present, we are focusing our efforts on supporting the investigation and we will give out further details when we are in a position to do so. "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family concerned." The inquest was due to open today at the Civic Centre in Mansfield.
Explosion kills nine in Pakistan Pakistani officials say nine construction workers have died in an accident in Rawalpindi. Eye-witnesses say builders were working on a roof when a metal rod touched a high tension power cable. This caused a powerful explosion, which killed nine of the workers instantly; three others are being treated in hospital. A BBC correspondent in Pakistan says the incident is likely to trigger fresh debate over inadequate industrial safety legislation in the country.
State investigating death at fabric mill; Maintenance worker was electrocuted while working on machine GREG LACOUR, Staff Writer MORGANTON - The N.C. Labor Department is investigating the electrocution of a maintenance worker Monday at Viscotec Automotive Products LLC, a 2-month-old textile mill. Douglas Hoover, 46, of Rutherford College was electrocuted around 11:30 a.m. while he replaced a gear inside a machine used to make fabrics for car interiors, said Department of Public Safety Sgt. Gary Massey. Three of Hoover's co-workers performed CPR, and officers and emergency workers arrived within minutes; paramedics tried to revive him with a defibrillator, Massey said. But Hoover was pronounced dead at Grace Hospital at 12:19 p.m. "It's terrible," said Bill Mason, a product director at the plant. "I tell you, it's like a member of your family passed away." Public Safety closed its investigation Tuesday without filing charges and ruled the death accidental, Massey said. But the Department of Labor sent investigators Tuesday to Viscotec to examine "what maintenance procedures they have to ensure equipment is safe before workers begin working on it," said department spokesman Juan Santos. Such investigations are standard when a worker dies in an industrial accident and usually take about two weeks, Santos said. If it finds the company used improper procedures, the department could issue a citation, which carries a maximum $7,000 fine, and force the company to fix the problem. Mason wouldn't specify Tuesday what piece of equipment Hoover was working on or how it works, saying that information is exclusive to Viscotec. He did say Hoover was part of a three-worker staff responsible for the upkeep of equipment. "Mr. Hoover was a very unique individual, a very helpful person. I don't know if I could say enough good things about this gentleman," Mason said. "He was friendly, easygoing, willing to do anything for anybody. ... He performed his job duties above expectations. "We're grieving over it, too," he said, choking up. "Our hearts go out to his family." Funeral arrangements were incomplete Tuesday. Viscotec management will shut the plant down temporarily to allow employees to attend services, Mason said. Viscotec, owned by Seiren Co. Ltd. of Fukui, Japan, manufactures car-seat fabric, particularly for Japanese car companies with plants in the South. Viscotec is Seiren's only automotive-fabric plant in the United States. Morganton officials, hit several times in recent months by closings and layoffs at textile mills, were thrilled at Viscotec's grand opening in late July. The plant, which occupies a former soft-drink distribution center on East Union Street, employs about 65 and eventually will employ about 250, Mason said.
YMCA volunteer accidentally electrocuted in Panhandle Associated Press FORT WALTON BEACH — An ungrounded electrical source, possibly a loose wire, electrocuted a YMCA volunteer while he apparently was making repairs, authorities say. Richard Byers, a retired military man from Fort Walton Beach, was electrocuted Sunday after entering the small building behind the YMCA, said Dr. Michael Berkland, an associate district medical examiner. Investigators determined "a wire that had come loose or something" that created the ungrounded electrical source, Berkland said Monday. "It was an accident waiting to happen." Berkland arrived shortly after paramedics and Byers was taken to the emergency room at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center only a few yards from the YMCA. The call was for a possible cardiac arrest, but Berkland said he suspected the possibility of electrocution and ordered everyone from the building until after an electrician had gone through it. The electrician found the ungrounded source, helping confirm it was an electrocution, Berkland said.
Welder at quarry likely electrocuted Mine inspectors are investigating the death of the 43-year-old man at Plaza Materials in Zephyrhills. By MOLLY MOORHEAD, St. Petersburg Times ZEPHYRHILLS -- A welder at a Zephyrhills quarry died about 7 p.m. Monday, apparently the victim of electrocution, authorities said. Leon R. Davison, 43, of 2625 Corvilla Drive in Zephyrhills was working on a 20-foot-high platform at Plaza Materials, south of Chancey Road, when co-workers saw sparks fly and heard Davison call out one of their names, according to Pasco County Sheriff's Office reports. Davison's stepfather, Robert Weber of Cape Vincent, N.Y., described Davison as a single father whose life revolved around his 14-year-old daughter, Michelle Lee. "He was pretty wrapped up in his daughter and his job," Weber said Tuesday. Lane Lohmayer, another worker at the quarry, and Donald Thomas, the night shift supervisor, told officials they went to the conveyor belt where Davison had been working Monday evening and found him lying on his back with welding equipment against his chest. Lohmayer told deputies he pulled the equipment away from Davison and found a faint pulse. Lohmayer told authorities that he wnt to call 911, and Thomas remained with Davison, but when he returned, Davison had no pulse. Davison was pronounced dead by paramedics at 7:07 p.m. at the scene. According to the reports, he had two burn marks, one on his chest and one on his back. The burn on Davison's chest matched a metal strap attached to the metal he was lying on, the reports said. He was apparently electrocuted while lying on the decking, the report said. Leroy Ford, a mine inspector with the Mine Safety and Health Administration, went to the scene Monday night. He said the agency, which has jurisdiction because Plaza Materials operates a quarry, is continuing to investigate. Ford said a team of investigators has been brought in from out of state. General manager Dain Williams of Plaza Materials, located at 41150 Yonkers Blvd., declined to comment. Davison moved to Zephyrhills about three years ago from upstate New York, where he grew up. His stepfather said he came to Florida for the mild winters and better job market. Weber said Michelle called Monday night with the news of her father's death. "Michelle is pretty broke up," Weber said. "She's taking it pretty hard. She's going to miss her father." Weber said Michelle is now staying at her mother's in Zephyrhills. In addition to his daughter, Davison is survived by his mother, Alberta Weber, and a sister, Valerie Claflin, 41, of Black River, N.Y. The Webers, who live in Clearwater during the winters, last saw Davison in April before they returned to New York for the summer.
Nine workers electrocuted at construction site in Islamabad ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Nine laborers were electrocuted Tuesday after they brushed up against exposed high tension wire while working at a construction site, police said. At least three others were seriously injured when the electrical wires short-circuited, causing a fire to spread through the Islamabad work site. Firefighters and medics combed through the building's wreckage hours after the fire in search of other bodies, but did not expect the death toll to rise.
Worker electrocuted at Jehovah hall in Southwest Ranches By JOAN QUIGLEY A 70-year-old man was in stable condition Tuesday after being electrocuted in Southwest Ranches. At approximately 11:20 a.m., Joseph Backloupe was working on a maintenance project at the Jehovah's Witness Hall, located at 20850 Griffin Rd. Backloupe, the assistant manager at the hall, was working with two other volunteers. It was unclear what they were doing at the time, but something caused Backloupe to suffer an electrical charge. ''They came running in here and said call 911,'' said Peg Herron, a receptionist. Backloupe was in stable condition and was taken to the Cleveland Clinic for treatment, according to Broward County Fire Rescue spokesman Todd LeDuc.
Resident shocked to hit power line By Edward Levenson, Staff Writer A Buckingham man was digging a hole when he struck a 19,000-volt electric cable. BUCKINGHAM - Tom Schuster didn't realize the danger when he heaved a 5-foot-long steel bar into a fence post hole to break up rocks. "I heard a pop like a cherry bomb or a large firecracker," said Schuster, 44. "I was sprayed in the face with dirt. I grabbed the bar and went back." Smoke poured out of the hole. Shaken but unhurt, Schuster did not know he had narrowly escaped electrocution. The bar had punctured a 19,000-volt underground electrical cable serving the Hearthstone development off of Cold Spring Creamery Road. The break knocked out power to more than 300 homes in the vicinity, Peco Energy Co. officials later told Schuster and his wife, Judy. The Schusters said they knew their Bridle Court home, which they bought new nine years ago, is served by an underground electric line, but they had no idea the main power cable runs beneath the front lawn. A natural gas pipeline also is below ground. "It's so scary to think you can die if you dig in your front lawn," Judy said. While underground electric and telephone lines are more common in newer developments, sewer, gas, and water lines are buried in older neighborhoods as well. The Schusters say Peco should do a better job of alerting people of the requirement to call the toll-free Pennsylvania One Call System notification number before doing any digging, no matter how minor. They suggested the utility use clearer wording in an annual notice it sends with bills and possibly enclose a sticker or a refrigerator magnet giving the number. "People don't know. It's frustrating," said Tom, adding that Peco intends to bill him for damages, which could run into the thousands of dollars. Peco spokeswoman Cathy Engel said the company will consider the Schusters' suggestions to improve awareness of the statewide notification network. A private citizen or a contractor planning to dig is required to call the toll-free number (1-800-242-1776) at least three working days in advance. The system will notify all utilities that have buried lines at that location, possibly including electric, natural gas, telephone, cable, petroleum, water and sewer. Utility workers will come out and mark the path of the lines or mains. "They should always call," Engel said. "It's just better to be safe, especially when the alternative is dangerous." Tom said he never expected he would hit a power line while putting in a decorative white wooden fence on the front lawn on Labor Day morning. He dug the first hole about 30 inches deep and 18 inches from the sidewalk toward the house. He was digging the second hole when the bar severed the cable. "I was very lucky," said Tom, who believes he briefly let go of the rod just before it hit the cable. He later underwent testing at Doylestown Hospital, which found no ill effects other than a minor muscle pull. After Peco marked the underground electric and gas lines, Schuster relocated the fence another 18 inches farther in from the sidewalk. While Peco will bill them for the cost of the repairs, according to the Schusters, their homeowner's insurance may cover the claim. Engel said she couldn't discuss the specific claim, but said generally the utility seeks reimbursement for damage, even if accidental. Bill Balin, manager of education for Pennsylvania One Call, said the law establishing the system makes the digger liable for repairs if the person did not call the number to have the lines marked. He said homeowners should call three to 10 working days in advance so the utilities have time to respond. Once the lines are marked, the person has an indefinite period to complete the project, such as planting a tree. If the resident has to dig somewhere else on the property in the future, the law requires another notification call. Balin said this is a good idea in any event because the markings, which typically are spray paint or lawn flags, can be obliterated or the lines can shift slightly due to earth movement. Engel pointed out Tom Schuster narrowly escaped serious injury or death. "Someone was watching over him that day," she said.
Farmer burned by 7,200 volts; Tractor collides with utility pole wire in Wantage By J.G. WALLACE, Herald Staff Writer WANTAGE — A township farmer is lucky to be alive after a collision with a utility pole support wire resulted in a 7,200-volt jolt of electricity. John Swarts was harvesting feed corn in a 10-acre field along Dyer Road at about 10:45 a.m. Saturday when his tractor collided with and snagged a support wire on a nearby electrical pole. The incident snapped the pole near the top, and left a transformer dangling. An electrical wire dropped across a rear light on Swart’s 1979 Ford tractor and instantly exploded all of the lights on the tractor. A shower of sparks rained down, and a loud sparking sound could be heard, according to neighbors. Swarts went to jump clear, with both the tractor and corn harvester still running, and he came in contact with the wire. He was thrown clear of the tractor by the shock, according to his son, Shane, who was nearby when the accident occurred. Shane Swarts said he called 911, and ran up the street to find his father staggering and dazed. Swarts was burned on both hands, where the vltage entered and exited his body. The shock also touched off fires in the front wheel of the tractor, and the rear wheel of the wagon being towed. A grass fire broke out, and fire crews were initially unable to take action as the pole was still electrified. With the tractor and harvester motors running, rescue workers waited patiently for Sussex Rural Electric crews to bypass the pole. The blaze was extinguished with fire extinguishers after the power was switched off. Members of the Beemerville, Colesville, and Sussex fire departments responded to the scene, as did the Wantage Rescue Squad.Swarts was treated at the scene for his burns, and later was taken to Saint Clare’s Hospital in Sussex Borough by a family member for further examinations. Wantage Fire Chief Parker Space said that due to the New Jersey State Firemen’s Convention in Wildwood this weekend, Sussex and Wantage fire companies have been responding jointly to calls. “A lot of the guys are down there, so we’re working with a combined response,” Space said. He said Swarts was very lucky to have survived the incident.“He should play the lottery today,” Space said Saturday. Swarts said Sunday he was fine. “It was only 7,200 volts,” he said. Swarts said after the collision, he stepped out and grabbed the electrical wire, thinking it was the support wire. “I was lucky it threw me,” he said. The resulting brush fire caused a column of smoke about 200 feet high, and drew neighbors to the scene. Electrical service was briefly interrupted in the Dyer and Holland Road area. Shane Swarts, 18, a college student, said every time the wind shifted the live wire and it made contact with the tractor cab, the entire cab glowed. The younger Swarts said he was optimistic that the tractor and equipment was not heavily damaged. “We’re all set to pull it out and change the tires,” he said shortly after the incident. He was hopeful Saturday that he and a cousin could resume cutting silage. Shane Swarts said his father initially did not want to go to the hospital after the accident because he was eager to resume the job. “That’s the way we all are,” he said. “It has to get done.”
Explosion knocks out power in Squirrel Hill By Marylynne Pitz, Post-Gazette Staff Writer A pre-dawn explosion blew the cover off a manhole in the Squirrel Hill business district today, leaving 300 residential and business customers without power. "We're not sure what the cause of it was, but it may have been that moisture came into contact with some wires," said Joe Balaban, a Duquesne Light spokesman who was outside an optical shop in the 5800 block of Forbes Avenue. A utility crew that arrived at 4:30 a.m. pumped water out of the sewer, which contains a 4,000-volt line that feeds three transformers between Shady and Murray avenues. Duquesne Light hopes to restore electricity to all customers by 6 p.m., Balaban said. The manhole cover crashed into the picture window of Dalmo Optical. A display inside the store was not damaged. "The display is still standing upright," Balaban said. While the three transformers were not affected, the explosion damaged some of the lines that feed electricity to them, Balaban said. "We're in the process of making this area safe so the crews can go down there and make their repairs. Fortunately, the man hole is within two feet of the curb. There must be a half dozen trucks out here right now." Stop lights at the intersections of Forbes and Murray and Forbes and Shady were not working because of the outage. Today, the utility crew will go through an underground network and replace some wires that burned during the explosion.
Electrician airlifted after drill touches live wire By Carolyn Millet ANOTHER Inverell man has suffered an electric shock, the second in the space of three weeks. Stieger Electronics worker Stewart Hill, 41, was putting in a TV outlet in the ceiling of a Sequoia Place home on Tuesday morning when his drill struck a 240 volt electrical cable. He lost consciousness and suffered burns in the accident, and was airlifted for specialist treatment to Tamworth Base Hospital, where local shock victim Peter Enersen was also recovering. Mr Hill's accident occurred at a little after 10am. When the Inverell ambulance service reached him, he was still unconscious. The police, Volunteer Rescue Association and Country Energy also attended the scene, and the VRA removed Mr Hill from the ceiling. He was stabilised by Advanced Life Support ambulance officers, who monitored his heart rhythms and gave him oxygen and IV fluids. Mr Hill suffered burns to his hands and wrists, and was taken to Inverell District Hospital at 11.15am. At 4 o'clock that afternoon the Westpac Rescue Helicopter transported him to Tamworth Base Hospital for further treatment. An Inverell ambulance spokesperson said all the emergency services personnel worked well together during the rescue. Inverell builder Peter Enersen was working at a building site on the Nullamanna Road on August 23, when the wind blew the tin sheeting he was holding into a 12,500 volt overhead power line. He sustained burns to his hands and right leg and was taken to Tamworth Base Hospital that day.
Man in hospital after powerlines accident A man remains in a serious condition in a Brisbane hospital after coming into contact with powerlines near Mungindi, north of Moree, yesterday afternoon. The man, aged 50, and a resident of Mungindi, were unloading cattle from a double-deck cattle float on a property 60 kilometres south-west of Mungindi. While standing on the top of the top deck, he came into contact with the overhead wires and then fell into the floor of the truck. He suffered severe burns to his back and feet. He was rushed to Mungindi Hospital and then transferred to Brisbane by air ambulance.
Worker Electrocuted Outside Courthouse A 41-year-old Berkley man was electrocuted Monday while working outside of the Oakland County courthouse in Pontiac. The worker was part of a two-man crew that was performing maintenance on a pole on the south side of the building. His partner was in a basket attending to a light while he was on the ground examining wiring inside the base of the pole. Police said that the victim touched wires inside the base of the pole that sent 460 volts of electricity into his body. Capt. Bill McCabe said that the worker had tools in one hand and was stuck to the wiring with the other, because of the surging electric current. McCabe said that his partner had to use their work truck to knock the victim away from the pole. Deputies in the courthouse nearby came to the worker's aid immediately, Local 4 reported. They performed CPR and an automated external defibrillators in attempting to revive him until paramedics could get him to a hospital. But he died. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( news - web sites) is investigating.
Four GRU workers injured in the electrical explosion. By KATHY CIOTOLASun staff writer One Gainesville Regional Utilities worker was critically injured Tuesday night when he was working on a utility box, authorities said. Three other workers also were injured. The employees were replacing a transformer in the 2500 block of NW 41st Street about 9 p.m. when one worker came in contact with a live wire, GRU spokesman Dan Jesse said. One man received severe burns and was taken to Shands at the University of Florida in critical condition, Gainesville Fire Rescue spokesman Stuart Schwartz said. Two others received flash burns to their eyes, and the other was evaluated because he was close to the electrical explosion, Schwartz said. Authorities didn't want to release the workers' names until their families were notified. Diane Evanac of Gainesville was driving by when she saw the explosion. "I saw what looked like a fireworks explosion with flames and sparks and two men running away," Evanac said. "The two men came back and I called GRU and police." The incident caused a power outage to about 150 people in the area, Jesse said. Another 1,100 may have noticed a quick interruption in their electricity. Officials weren't able to determine what caused the accident late Tuesday night but said the investigation was continuing.
UPDATE, Phone company fined for worker's electrocution ASSOCIATED PRESS September 9, 2002 SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Federal regulators on Monday proposed fines totaling $55,500 against Verizon for numerous safety infractions that led to the electrocution of a telephone lineman in March. Among other violations, the telephone company failed to ensure that employees wore gloves and other personal protective equipment, said Diane Brayden, area director for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The fines resulted from an investigation into the March 11 death of lineman Jarrod Lyon, 28, of Dolgeville. Lyon was killed when a 12,500-volt power line touched a telephone cable he was repairing. OSHA proposed a penalty of $30,500 for eight alleged serious violations of federal safety standards, Brayden said. The company also was cited for a repeat violation for failing to provide personal protective equipment, protective devices and special tools needed for the work of employees. OSHA proposed a $25,000 fine for the repeat violation. The company has until Sept. 26 to contest the citations. Verizon spokesman Cliff Lee said company officials were still reviewing the proposed fines Monday, but that an appeal was likely.
Officials Say Church Fire Was Accident Officials said that a church fire that destroyed classrooms and sent four firefighters to the hospital was an accident. NewsChannel5 reported that the 80-year-old First United Methodist Church in Ashland went up in flames Friday. Investigators said that the blaze ignited when a contractor accidentally knocked gutters into electrical wires. Three firefighters suffered smoke inhalation, and a fourth was hurt when the roof collapsed. Damage is estimated at $2 million to $3 million.
U.S. Gauge worker is electrocuted By Patrick Lester, Staff Writer After the accident, the plant's emergency response team began performing CPR on the victim. He died at Grand View Hospital. SELLERSVILLE - A longtime U.S. Gauge employee was electrocuted while working inside the Clymer Avenue plant Thursday afternoon, a company official said. E. LeRoy Kulp, was doing maintenance work inside the plant when he was accidentally shocked, according to spokesman Jim McKinley. Medics rushed Kulp to Grand View Hospital in West Rockhill where he was pronounced dead about an hour after the 3 p.m. accident. It was the first fatal accident at the Clymer Avenue plant, a fixture in the borough for decades, according to McKinley. "The company is saddened by the loss of a colleague and extends its deepest sympathy to the Kulp family," he said, reading from a statement issued by the firm. Kulp, who had been working as a millright in the plant's tube mill, was a U.S. Gauge employee since at least 1963, McKinley said. U.S. Gauge, a local division of Ametek, produces components for gauges and aerospace equipment. The local plant employs about 146 people. Kulp was doing work on a maintenance belt when the accident happened. The plant's emergency response team immediately began performing CPR on him until medical personnel arrived, McKinley said. Pennridge Regional police said Kulp was alive when medics arrived, but released few other details on the accident Thursday. McKinley said members of the company's employee assistance program would be made available to Kulp's family today. "They will be on site at Sellersville (today) to help other colleagues deal with the after effects of this tragic accident," he said. The cause of the accident is under investigation. Pennridge Regional police are investigating. "There will be an investigation, certainly, by us," McKinley said.
UPDATE, N.S. company fined $3,000 after worker touches live electrical wire DARTMOUTH, N.S. (CP) -- A Dartmouth company has been fined $3,000 after an employee came in contact with a live wire on a job site. Bell Electric pleaded guilty Thursday to one charge under the province's Occupational Health and Safety Act. The man, who was employed by a sub-contractor at the time of the August 2001 incident, sustained burns to his left hand and injuries to his neck and shoulder after he was shocked and fell unconscious. A second charge was dismissed after the Crown called no evidence. The court was told the worker wasn't informed about an uninsulated, energized wire before the mishap occurred. The man spent four days in hospital.
Michelin employee injured by high voltage Canadian Press BRIDGEWATER, N.S. (CP) - A man who was injured in an industrial accident at a plant in Bridgewater was listed in good condition Tuesday. Robert Fralick, a worker at the Michelin tire plant, was doing maintenance at an electrical substation Monday when he came into contact with high voltage. He was taken to a Halifax hospital, where his condition improved. The provincial Labour Department was investigating.
Georgia Industrial Fire Contained Quickly There was plenty of smoke but little damage from a fire Tuesday (9/3/2002) at Chemical Products Corp. on Old Mill Road in Cartersville. The fire was contained 45 minutes after it started with only minor damage to the building, according to CPC Technical Director Jerry Cook. The fire began when a worker switched on a breaker around 3 p.m., generating a spark that ignited a powder stored and processed in the building, Cook said. The fire sent billows of smoke into the air above it. The powder, stored in bags, is processed at the building into a slurry that is used in making paper, Cook said. The slurry is then sold to companies who use it as a catalyst in making paper. The fire started in the control center and ignited several bags of the powder. The result was a thick cloud of smoke that hovered over the building for the rest of the afternoon. Three fire engines from the Bartow County Fire Dept. responded and began dousing the fire.
UPDATE, Damaged cables caused manhole explosion by TOM STEINFELDT, Journal staff writer A manhole explosion Tuesday in Arlington was caused by underground cables damaged several months ago, investigators concluded. Dominion Virginia Power determined that debris remaining from the installation of a duct bank used to run cable to a new building more than likely sliced the wires and led to the explosion. A laborer for electric subcontractor D.A. Foster Co. was in the manhole at Washington Boulevard and 10th Street when the cable sparked and a plume of smoke burst from the ground. Roughly 4,000 Dominion customers lost power, and most traffic lights in the county's Clarendon and Courthouse areas were out for three hours. The worker climbed out of the manhole and was taken to Virginia Hospital Center. He was treated for smoke inhalation and burns near one ear and released that afternoon. It is common for damaged wires to take several months to short out, Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson said Friday: ``It just depends on what type of contaminants get into the wires." Water and dirt typically affect damaged underground wires, which are buried three feet below ground. Investigators ruled with reasonable certainty that concrete knocked down to install the duct bank cut the encased cable that failed, triggering the explosion, Anderson said. The injured worker was removing the concrete. ``And that was the popping sound that people heard," she said of the spark. A second explosion about 50 minutes after the first was caused when a breaker was closed to reroute electricity to customers. The concrete windows are designed to be removed to wire new developments. The duct bank was installed several months ago to provide electrical wires for the nearby Jefferson at Clarendon Centre apartment building that is under construction. The date the work was performed was not available Friday. Paradigm Construction Co., the building's developer, hired a subcontractor to do the duct work. Paradigm officials did not return calls seeking comment. ``My concern is why did it happen and could it have been prevented," said Pat Maloy, who works a few blocks from the manhole at Bargain Buggies Rent-A-Car. Traffic tie-ups and other hassles like Tuesday's power outage that occur near construction sites have a negative impact on businesses and residents, he said. ``We all suffer when this happens," he said. The explosion likely would have occurred regardless of the work being done in the manhole, Anderson said. ``It was a coincidence, basically," she said. ``Underground cable fails periodically. It's dirty underground, and any time you get dirt or anything on the cable it can fail." Given the extent of the minor flash burns near the injured worker's ear, the explosion likely would not have been powerful enough to propel the manhole cover into the air if it had been on, Anderson said. A hairline splice can cause cable failure, and Dominion has no way of knowing when it will happen, Anderson said. ``It wasn't something we could have prevented," she said.
UPDATE, Utility Worker's Death a Reminder of Danger By ERIC PERA, The Ledger LAKELAND -- Marc Moore, the Lakeland Electric employee killed Monday, was the fourth city worker in more than 20 years to die doing a dangerous job. Moore, 31, a special equipment operator, was electrocuted while helping to install a 40-foot wooden power pole at an East Lakeland mobile home park. Four other workers were injured when the metal arm of the boom Moore was operating touched a primary electric line, charging the rain-soaked ground with between 7,200 and 13,000 volts. Three of the four workers left Lakeland Regional Medical Center on Tuesday after being treated for minor injuries, and the fourth was expected to follow, a Lakeland spokesman said. The accident left the approximately 800-member electric utility mourning a young father of two who had worked for the city for eight years. As a special equipment operator, Moore was paid $19.74 an hour, or approximately $41,000 a year. Linemen can earn more than $50,000 a year. "It's hazardous work. Workers are usually highly paid when there is substantial risk," said Bob Siegel, Lakeland Electric director until he retired in 2000. Two workers were electrocuted during Siegel's tenure. On June 12, 1992, James Lynch, 28, of Longwood, an electrician with a Jacksonville contractor, died after touching a 277-volt wire at the city's McIntosh Plant. He was on a hydraulic lift. A pair of plastic, insulated pliers were in his left hand, but he was not wearing protective gloves. On Dec. 5, 1990, lineman James Tymchuk, 25, of Mulberry, was in a cherry picker when he simultaneously touched a 7,200-volt power line and the controls of his bucket, which was also touching the wire. He'd taken off insulated gloves and put on a pair of leather gloves. After filing a wrongful death suit, Tymchuk's widow reached a $2.06 million settlement with the maker of the bucket truck, claiming the controls weren't insulated. The fourth death occurred Jan. 18, 1980, when Thomas Stovall, a tree trimmer with Lakeland Electric, was electrocuted. Siegel said the public tends to overlook the sacrifice of the people who risk their lives to keep the lights on. "When there's a big storm . . .those folks are out there. They give their all," he said. The city's risk management safety team is expected to issue a report on Moore's death within the week, city spokesman Kevin Cook said. Polk sheriff's investigators also are looking into the incident that occurred Monday afternoon at Citrus Woods Mobile Home Park off Reynolds Road. The five-man crew was using a boom, a piece of equipment similar to a crane, to drive a utility pole into the ground and replace a damaged pole, said Sheriff's Capt. W.J. Martin. Insulated sleeves and blankets were draped over the poles and lines to protect the workers from a shock, Martin said. But the workers removed the protective devices when they figured there was enough space between the two poles. "They miscalculated," Martin said. "They thought they had created enough of a gap between the two poles." A piece of metal equipment at the end of the boom hit a live wire where the sleeves had been, Martin said. The electricity traveled through the boom into the ground and shocked the five workers standing several feet from the boom, Martin said. Martin said it was unclear where Moore was standing or if he was touching the boom. Cook declined to comment on the Sheriff's Office findings. Moore moved to rural Kathleen about five years ago and began building on several acres on Paul Brown Road near the Hillsborough County line, according to neighbors. While working on the home, Moore, his wife, and two young sons lived in a yellow mobile home next to the house under construction, said his neighbor, Doretta Boulac. "They were halfway through with building that house," Boulac said. "They had just gotten married when they moved up here." A visitor Tuesday could see two horses, two goats, a pond at the front of the property and an American flag next to the family's home. Boulac said Moore's wife often rode one of the horses. The property is surrounded by a fence with a gate at the front of the dirt driveway posted with a "beware of dog" sign and a sign with a picture of a handgun that read, "we don't dial 911." On the gate was a yellow sign, showing three children riding on horses, that read, "Lil Buckaroos at play."
Explosion At Plant In Kansas Injures Three Three people were injured, one critically, after an explosion and fire at an agricultural machinery plant in Hesston, Kansas. The explosion occurred around 9 a.m. yesterday in an electrical room at the Agco plant, according to Hesston police. One employee was critically burned in the fire that resulted from the explosion and was life-flighted to an area hospital. Two other employees suffered minor injuries. One of the employees was taken by ambulance to the hospital and the other was treated at the scene. Authorities say the cause of the explosion is under investigation, but they do not suspect foul play. The plant suffered minor damage, police said.
Electric Worker Killed in Accident, Four others in crew hurt when boom hits line. By RICK ROUSOS & JOHN CHAMBLISS, The Ledger LAKELAND -- A Lakeland Electric worker was electrocuted and four other linemen were injured Monday in an accident off Reynolds Road east of Lakeland. Marcus Moore, 31, of 5235 Paul Brown Road in Kathleen, was killed about 1:30 p.m. while working at Citrus Woods Mobile Home Park, 1610 Reynolds Road between lots 335 and 336. The four injured linemen were in good condition at Lakeland Regional Medical Center on Monday night, a nursing supervisor said. They were listed by co-workers as Chris Anderson, Mark Harrison, Mike Sims and Guy Schatzman. The accident occurred while the men were using a boom, which utility officials describe as similar to a crane, to drive a utility pole into the ground to repair damage done by an earlier storm. A metal piece of equipment at the end of the boom hit a primary electric line, officials said. The line carried between 7,200 and 13,000 volts, said Keith Hulbert, the general manager of Lakeland Electric. The electricity traveled through the boom into the ground and shocked the workers. It was unclear where Moore was standing when he was shocked or if he was touching the boom, but the wet ground made the situation worse because it acted as a conductor, said sheriff's spokeswoman Carrie Rodgers. The four Lakeland Electric employees who survived were standing on the ground near the pole when they were shocked, Rodgers said. Rodgers said a line never snapped or fell to the ground. About 50 workers and family members who crowded an LRMC waiting room Monday mourned Moore's death as they waited for word on the four injured workers. Co-workers said Moore had a wife and a couple of young children. He was described by his supervisor, Gerald Holbrook, as a man's man with a good heart. "He was a big, strong, powerful man, but he was real gentle," Holbrook said. "He had a great sense of humor" and loved to hunt. Gilbert McKee, 43, a lineman who was shocked and burned while placing an insulator on a power line in 2000, said he used to playfully wrestle with Moore. "We were both big guys," McKee said. "He was a big teddy bear." McKee, who learned of Moore's death through a co-worker, said Moore was about 6 feet tall and weighed about 270 pounds. McKee said he would miss his co-worker of at least 10 years. "We worked side by side," McKee said. "We all look out for each other here." Hulbert said the details of the accident are sketchy because the five-member crew was working alone. He said more should be known within the next few days. "Our hearts go out to the family members, friends and co-workers," Hulbert said. "We're going to do all we can to help them through this time of tragedy." The past two years, Lakeland Electric received a first-place award for compiling an outstanding safety record from the Florida Municipal Electric Association.
One electrocuted, three injured By Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) A construction worker died and three others sustained serious burns when they came in contact with a live wire Sunday evening. Police said the accident occurred at a factory in Okhla in south Delhi when the iron rods being carried by a construction worker brushed an overhead high-tension wire. He received a severe electric shock and the others who ran to save him also got electrocuted in the bargain. "All four were rushed to the burns ward of the Safdarjung hospital (in south Delhi). One of the workers Alauddin succumbed to his injuries, while three others are still in the hospital," a police officer told IANS. The injured workers have been identified as Mohammad Akhtar, Mathur Mandal and Bharat Mandal. All of them live in a shantytown in Okhla.
Firefighter injured by an electric shock in Lawrence by Franci Richardson A Lawrence firefighter helping the arson team investigate yesterday's early-morning fire at a storefront under a boarding house was taken to the hospital after suffering an electrical shock. Fire Lt. Edward Murphy was taken to Lawrence General Hospital after receiving a shock from a live wire, but was discharged hours later, according to acting Deputy Gary Morin. ``He's OK,'' Morin said. The two-alarm blaze, reported about 12:56 a.m., forced the evacuation of several people from the upper floors of the Lowell Street boarding house. There were no rescues, but fire officials did help residents get out of the building. Murphy was injured after the fire was snuffed out. ``I believe he was on the external part of building when they were running electrical lines to aid the arson investigation,'' Morin said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Downtown transformer blows; hundreds evacuated By LEIGH HOPPER, Houston Chronicle Hundreds of downtown employees from the Houston Police Department, Waste Management, JP Morgan Chase and other companies evacuated their offices this morning after a power surge blew transformers in three different buildings. The incident disrupted workers and traffic in a six-block area that included buildings at 1111 Fannin, 1021 Main and Houston Police Headquarters at 1111 Bell. Fires emitting thick smoke were quickly extinguished, and power was restored by 10:15 a.m., allowing business to return to normal, said Houston Fire Department spokesman Jay Evans. There were no injuries, but one woman was treated for high blood pressure at the scene. Evans did not know if downtown construction was responsible for the disruption. He said Reliant Energy is investigating the incident and would have an explanation by the afternoon. Evans said the chain reaction started about 8:30 a.m., when workers on the 17th floor of the Howell Building at 1111 Fannin noticed their computer screens flicker. A transformer caught fire and exploded. As firefighters responded, the same thing happened at the police building on Bell. However, smoke from a burning transformer went out a louvered window and did not fill the building. Then the transformer at 1021 Main began to smoke. Employees had to leave by way of darkened stairways, evoking memories of last year's attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, said Evans. "Everybody was quite upset," he said.
Fire at Bloomberg Site; Worker injured, traffic snarled around future HQ By Melanie Lefkowitz, Wil Cruz and Pete Bowles, STAFF WRITERS A worker cleaning around a transformer was burned yesterday when an electrical fire erupted at the construction site of the future headquarters of Bloomberg LP, sending heavy black smoke into a busy midtown neighborhood, authorities said. The subcontractor for Con Edison, whose name was not released, was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Weill Cornell Center, where he was listed in stable condition. A firefighter also was taken to the hospital for treatment of respiratory problems, Joseph Cestari, a Fire Department spokesman, said. Two Con Edison workers were treated at the scene for minor injuries. Fire officials said the blaze, which set off a series of blasts, broke out at 1 p.m. in an electrical vault in the basement of the building on 58th Street between Third and Lexington avenues, where several stories of the headquarters are being constructed. The cause of the fire still was under investigation last night, Cestari said. Tom Gavaghen, 39, an ironworker from Freehold, N.J., said he saw the subcontractor handling two live wires near the transformer. Gavaghen said he saw sparks, saw the man drop the wires, heard a series of blasts that rocked the building and then saw flames shooting out of the vault. "I was surprised initially, then concerned," he said. "There was somebody in there, and I couldn't see him anymore. I didn't think he was going to get out." Workers said the injured man either fell or was thrown about 6 feet into a lower level. "It was just a loud boom, but then it popped," said John Morena, 57, an electrician from Freehold. The injured man "was in shock," Morena said. "He was burned on his arms and badly shaken up. I was concerned that everyone got out OK. It could have been worse." Streets around the site, just across from Bloomingdales, were blocked off for several hours until the smoke cleared. Police reported massive traffic jams. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who founded the financial information company, no longer is involved in its daily operations. "It's very tragic," he said at a City Hall news conference. Chris Olert, a Con Edison spokesman, said there were no electrical outages associated with the fire.
UPDATE, Worker injured in electrical accident dies By NICOLA M. WHITE WALLINGTON - A Parmalat factory worker died Monday after coming in contact with a 600-volt electric wire on the job earlier this month. Benjamin Minguito, 44, of Kearny worked the night shift at the dairy factory as a boiler repair and maintenance mechanic. Early Aug. 3, Minguito was changing blown fuses. "When he tried to put the third one in, it blew up," said Sapri Issaof Paterson, who also works nights at the factory. "There was an explosion - oh, my God, it was big. The whole area was shot like a fire or something. I ran away. I looked to my back, I looked to Benny. The guy started crying, screaming."Issa escaped with a burned hand.Minguito, a married father of three, suffered second- and third-degree burns on 40 percent to 50 percent of his body, said Police Director Anthony Benevento. His hands, forearms, face, neck, and upper torso were burned. His shirt went up in flames, as did the front of his trouser legs.Parmalat, a French dairy products company, one of the largest employers in town, is investigating Minguito's death. "Parmalat places the utmost importance on employee safety and all of its employees are committed to preventing injuries in the workplace," the company said in a statement. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death, as it does when anyone dies because of a work-related injury. Parmalat, which bought the old Farmland Dairies factory two years ago, has no history of OSHA investigations at its Wallington site. Farmland Dairies, however, was slapped with tens of thousands of dollars in fines for multiple workplace violations. In records that go back to 1975, no on-the-job deaths are recorded. "People coming in contact with a live electrical part is one of the more common ways of getting injured, not so much in a factory, but especially on a construction site," said Steve Kaplan, assistant area director of OSHA's regional office in Rochelle Park. "It doesn't happen every day, thank goodness." Minguito had been employed at Parmalat since March 2000. His three children are 26, 23, and 15.
Electrical burns injure road crew worker Cement truck hits line, absorbing 7,400 volts in Commerce By Mike Martindale / The Detroit News COMMERCE TOWNSHIP -- A 27-year-old worker is hospitalized in serious condition with burns after a Tuesday construction accident in which a cement truck he was working on came in contact with high-voltage electrical lines. The man, identified only as a Roma, Texas, resident pending family notification, was reportedly in the burn unit of Detroit Receiving Hospital after the accident on Maple Road near Williams International Corp. Lt. Denny Davis of the Oakland County Sheriff's Department substation in Commerce Township said the man was part of a crew working on improvements to Maple between Haggerty and Welch about 8:30 a.m. "He was outside a cement truck that was dumping a load when part of the truck hit an overhead line with its bucket and about 7,400 volts went through the truck," Davis said. "He was touching the side of the truck, possibly some controls, at the time." The truck's driver, inside the vehicle, was not harmed in the incident, Davis said. "The line surged and, like a circuit breaker, went dead after the contact," he said. "The driver somehow must not have been touching any metal part of the truck at the time." It was unclear if the workers either failed to see or misjudged the height of the wires. Commerce Township paramedics provided first aid, and the man was taken to Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. He was transferred to Detroit Receiving Hospital in the afternoon, Beaumont spokeswoman Ilene Wolf said. The hospitalized man is employed by Tony Angelo Construction Co. of Novi. Christine Super, a financial controller for the company, said the owners of the company were busy talking with investigators on Tuesday. "We're still trying to find out what happened," Super said. "We are working a subcontract along the road and everything has been routine and without any accidents -- until now." As with all serious construction-type accidents, the incident remains under investigation by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Workplace accidents, often fatal, occur with disturbing frequency in Michigan. Dozens of Michigan workers each year are crushed, electrocuted, blown up, buried in cave-ins or maimed on the job. Often the deaths and injuries are because of violations of company and state safety procedures. State officials believe some, if not most, of the deadly incidents could have been prevented.
San Manuel man killed in accident at Ray Pit Paul Casillas, 31, of San Manuel, died last Saturday as a result of an accident at ASARCO Ray Mines. An employee of Frontier-Kemper, Casillas was working in the tunnel area of the Ray Pit when he was apparently electrocuted. Exact details of the incident could not be confirmed as efforts to get a statement from Frontier-Kemper were unsuccessful. Frontier-Kemper is an out-side firm currently under contract to ASARCO. Pinal County Sheriff’s deputies along with Kearny Fire and Ambulance responded to the scene. Casillas was transported by helicopter to Cobre Valley Community Hospital in Globe where he was pronounced dead. No further information was available at press time.
HOME ELECTRICAL SAFETY, Woman killed cutting grass A Lawrenceburg woman was killed Monday afternoon while mowing grass in Pulaski. Law enforcement officials said that Wanda Gowder, 58, a former Sun-drop employee, was cutting grass at the home of her son, Mike Gowder, at 806 Rackley Drive, when the mower she was operating came in contact with an electrical cord. Gowder was taken to Hillside Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Neal Funeral Home in Lawrenceburg is in charge of funeral arrangements, which were incomplete at press time today (Tuesday).
Explosion in underground electrical vault in Calgary; buildings evacuated CALGARY (CP) -- An explosion in an underground electrical vault Tuesday injured one worker and snarled traffic in downtown Calgary. The explosion happened about 2 p.m. at First Street and Fourth Avenue, across from the Westin Hotel. Three Enmax workers were in the vault at the time. One suffered flash burns, the other two and some emergency workers were treated and released for smoke inhalation, said Jason Kiriaka, spokesman for Emergency Medical Services. "It was definitely a dangerous situation. Initially when the workers were first trapped ... they ran past the first exit, didn't see it because of the smoke, then ran back and found it," Kiriaka said. Workers in several nearby buildings were evacuated. "The concern is that when you have electrical fires there is definitely high voltage involved," said John Conley, fire department spokesman. "But also the subsequent residual smoke that comes from the vault can be fairly toxic, so we are erring on the side of caution." White smoke billowed from the alley where the vault was as numerous fire and police vehicles blocked downtown streets. Traffic lights were out as well. Curious business people stood on the streets wondering what happened and if they would be going back to work.
Man may have died of electrocution Eagle staff report Authorities believe a Milam County man was electrocuted Friday night as he worked on a box fan at his home. The official cause of death is pending for Kevin Dohnalik, 31, who was found shortly after 8 p.m. near a large fan he was fixing at his home in the Marak community, about 5 miles northwest of Cameron. He was taken to Central Texas Hospital in Cameron, where he was pronounced dead. Further details were not available Saturday.
UPDATE, Father sees son and colleague electrocuted KAY JARDINE A MAN saw his son and another worker die when they were electrocuted while repairing street lighting yesterday. The men, one aged 22 and the other 32, were repairing lamp standards in Port Glasgow Road in Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire. It is understood they were electrocuted when they came into contact with an overhead power line. Strathclyde Police confirmed that the father of one of the victims was at the scene of the accident, working for the same firm of council contractors. It is understood he saw his son killed as the lamp-post, which was being removed by a lorry-mounted crane, touched the cable. Colleagues of the men, who worked for a firm sub-contracted to Renfrewshire Council, alerted the emergency services. One victim is believed to have been in the lorry while the other was maneouvring the lamp-post. Witnesses said they heard someone shout and saw a hoist holding a pole but realised there had been an accident only when police and ambulance staff attended. The men, who were not named, were both taken to Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Greenock, but were pronounced dead soon after arrival. A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police said: "We are still trying to formally identify these men." She said post-mortem examinations would be carried out. The Health and Safety Executive is carrying out an investigation. Scottish Power engineers and Strathclyde Police were also investigating. Inverclyde Council said it would co-operate with the investigation and expressed its sympathy to the families. A report will be sent to the procurator-fiscal.
Worker escapes crop blaze by Jo Breach A farm worker had a lucky escape when his combine harvester got too close to a power cable creating an arc of electricity which set fire to a field of crops. Farm worker Tim Williams was working at Locks Farm in Coldharbour Lane, Patching, near Worthing, when the accident happened just before 1pm yesterday. As the combine harvester passed underneath the power cables, sparks of electricity jumped from the cables setting fire to the crops. Other farm workers raced to see if he was hurt but he walked away uninjured. Farmer Alex Lock, who was working on a tractor nearby, said: "The power cables have always been quite low and when the combine harvester went near them it created an arc of electricity. "It set fire to the field but the biggest scare was if Tim was all right. "When I went to speak to him he said he was fine. I don't think he realised what had happened until afterwards. "When the men realised the electricity had started a fire they immediately rang the fire brigade and moved the farm equipment out of the way." Fire crews from East Preston, Worthing and Findon were called to tackle the blaze and were at the scene for almost two hours. A brigade spokesman said: "The man was very lucky he was not electrocuted. "It was the quick response of the first crew who arrived who limited the damage of the fire. The ground was very dry due to the hot weather. "Because it was so hot yesterday we had an ambulance on standby in case any of the fire crews suffered from heat stress and fatigue." The farm worker was unhurt but two acres of oats were destroyed by the blaze. Seeboard engineers were at the scene yesterday afternoon. Mr Lock said: "I estimate we lost three to four tonnes of oats, which is worth a couple of hundred pounds. "I am just glad no one was hurt."
Ulysses man electrocuted in farming accident By RAYA DYKE A Ulyssess man was killed Monday when he was electrocuted while working on a piece of irrigation equipment. Roberto Carlos Rodriguez, 24, was electrocuted about 8 p.m. while attempting to change the direction of an irrigation sprinkler, according to the Grant County Sheriff's Office. Rodriguez, employed in a farming business near Moscow, was with co-workers when they noticed problems with a motor tower on an irrigator, Grant County Sheriff Lance Babcock said. "There's a bar they hit to change the sprinkler's direction, and he reached up to hit that bar and got electrocuted," Babcock said. Normally, there wouldn't be any electricity in that part of the irrigator, he said. Nevertheless, the sheriff's offices does not expect to find any evidence of foul play, Babcock said. "I think it was just an accident," he said. "Lightning could have struck the tower, or something like that. We just don't know yet." The case is under investigation.
Work mishaps leave one dead, one burned BY DAVID OVALLE One man was killed and another severely burned Wednesday in two separate construction accidents in Miami-Dade County, fire and police spokesmen said. A construction worker was killed when a construction vehicle backed into him around 8:30 a.m. near the Mall of the Americas, Miami-Dade police said. Hours later, at 6809 Biscayne Blvd., another man burned more than half of his body after touching power lines and falling 10 feet, a Miami Fire-Rescue official said. He was taken to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where officials said he was in critical condition and undergoing surgery. The first victim, a 39-year-old whose name was not released, was marking a road and did not notice the approaching road grader, a vehicle used to scrape away pavement, detective Lupo Jimenez said. The second victim was doing roof work on a two-story flower shop when he touched some power lines. As firefighters arrived and hunted for a way to scale the walls, the man fell 10 feet to a first-story roof landing. Firefighter Christian Guzmán was on the other side of the building when he heard gasps from a crowd of onlookers. He raced around, climbed a nearby fence and pulled the man away from the edge. Rescuers used one of the man's company lift trucks to lower him. ''The top of his body was pretty badly burned, second-degree burns,'' Guzmán said. ``He was semiconscious, in and out.''
Streetlight accident kills workmen Two men have died after being electrocuted while working on streetlighting in the west of Scotland. The accident took place on Wednesday morning on the outskirts of Kilmacolm, Inverclyde. Electricity supplies to part of the village have been cut off as a result of the incident. A spokesperson for Inverclyde Council said the two men had been working for a private contractor employed by the local authority to replace old streetlighting. The accident happened as they removed an old light on Port Glasgow Road at about 1000 BST. It is thought that the men were electrocuted when it hit an 11,000-volt overhead cable. The men - who were aged 22 and 32 - were taken to Inverclyde Royal Hospital in Greenock, but died a short time later from their injuries. Three other men working in the area as part of the same crew were not injured. Strathclyde Police said Port Glasgow Road had been closed between Auchenbothie Gardens and Wateryetts Drive. The Health and Safety Executive has launched an investigation into the incident. A police spokesperson added that a report would be submitted to the procurator fiscal.
Construction worker electrocuted Staff A 31-year-old construction worker was killed Friday when he accidentally touched an electrical wire on a job in south Fulton County. The accident occurred off school property behind Bear Creek Middle School on Herndon Road near Fairburn around 10:30 a.m., said Fulton County Fire Department spokesman Reginald Smith. Danny Rowe of Bethlehem, who "was working on some electrical wires, had apparently stuck his hand in a hole and received a heavy shock," Smith said. Rowe went into cardiac arrest, Smith said. He was revived with CPR and taken to Fayette Community Hospital in Fayetteville, where he died.
UPDATE, Electric Shock Kills Sound Beach Man By Christine Buurma August 07, 2002 A lineman repairing overhead electrical wires at the intersection of Montauk Highway and Dock Road in Remsenburg was electrocuted on Friday. Dennis Strittmatter, 45, of Sound Beach was an employee of Thiro USA, a private company contracted by the Long Island Power Authority to do overhead line work on utility poles. Police said Strittmatter was working on overhead voltage lines while in a vehicle-mounted aerial bucket when his ground man, Peter Melanson of Patchogue, heard an explosion. Melanson looked up and saw a second explosion and a fire, police said. According to a police report, Melanson immediately lowered the bucket to the ground and saw that Strittmatter was unconscious and had sustained severe burns to the upper portion of his body. Melanson removed Strittmatter from the bucket with the help of a passing motorist, removed Strittmatter's safety equipment and began CPR. Westhampton Volunteer Ambulance personnel responded to the scene and transported Strittmatter to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A woman answering the phone at Melanson's house and identifying herself as his wife said he was unavailable, adding that she was unsure whether he would want to comment on the accident. Thiro USA General Manager Kirby Gearing said he believed the accident was caused by phase-to-phase contact, meaning that Strittmatter touched two of the three overhead wires he was working with at the same time. Gearing added that the company, along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is investigating the incident. "We don't have any definitive answer," Gearing said. He said Strittmatter was reconductoring, or replacing, a distribution line that was damaged as a result of recent high temperatures. Strittmatter had worked for Thiro USA, which is based in Newington, Connecticut and has been in business for seven years in the United States, since May 10, he said. Gearing would not comment on whether any Thiro USA employees previously had been injured while working. He also declined to specify any precautions that employees of the company working on overhead lines are required to take, citing the OSHA investigation, but said that certain safety measures are taken. Gearing said Strittmatter was a widower with four children. LIPA spokesman Bert Cunningham said LIPA often hires subcontractors to repair weather-related damage and had contracted with Thiro USA in the past without incident. Cunningham said he was not aware of any previous deaths or injuries involving Thiro USA workers on the job. Electrocution is "one of the dangers of the job," Cunningham said. "More often than not, [linemen] are working on a system that is live." Linemen usually are required to wear protective clothing and take other precautions, Cunningham said. A Coram man was electrocuted last August while repairing overhead power lines in front of a residence in East Hampton. At the time of the accident, police declined to identify the company for which the man was working but said he was doing contracting work. Officials from OSHA required that a Freedom of Information Act request be filed before they would release information about any past incidents involving Thiro USA; the request was not honored by press time.
5 Injured in Blast at Sewage Plant Accident: Workers were upgrading power vault in Huntington Beach. One is in critical condition. By STANLEY ALLISON, TIMES STAFF WRITER An electrical explosion and fire ripped through a power supply building at a Huntington Beach sewage treatment plant Tuesday, injuring five workers, one seriously. Five workers were upgrading a 12,000-volt electrical service center vault about 7:20 a.m. when the blast occurred, Orange County Sanitation District officials said. The vault distributes power to the sanitation district facility on Brookhurst Street near Pacific Coast Highway. Marc Posey, 49, of San Diego was attempting to connect wires to a system that apparently had not been shut down, officials said. There was a flash and a flame and Posey's clothes caught fire, according to reports. The cause of the explosion is being investigated by the sanitation district and Cal-OSHA. Posey, who suffered third-degree burns over 90% of his body, was taken by helicopter within a half an hour to the Grossman Burn Center at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana. He was listed in critical but stable condition. Another worker, Roger Webb, 60, suffered second- and third-degree burns over 6% of his body. Both men are scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday, hospital officials said. Dr. Thomas Thuan Nguyen, a burn specialist, and part of the team that will be performing the operations, said Posey is "too unstable now" to undergo reconstructive surgery. Workers Scott Christenson and Travis Lindbergh were taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange with moderate and minor injuries. Phillip Sullivan was treated for minor smoke inhalation at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach and released. The plant, which processes an average of 153 million gallons of sewage daily, lost power until backup generators kicked in, officials said. The brief outage caused no problems, officials said. Police closed Brookhurst to all traffic from Pacific Coast Highway to Adams Avenue for nearly three hours. Neighbors of the square concrete building on Brookhurst said they were unaware anything was amiss until they heard firetrucks. "I didn't hear anything," said Tim Baker, who was making breakfast for his 2-year-old son, Robbie, at the time. Baker, whose home on Summerwind Lane is across the street from the facility, said he saw fire engines and then a helicopter flying low over his house. Times staff writer Vivian LeTran contributed to this report.
UPDATE, Painter killed in deadly Capitol Hill accident By Tricia Manning-Smith, KING 5 News SEATTLE - A deadly accident on Seattle's Capitol Hill leaves one man dead Sunday. A painter fell to his death, hitting power lines on the way down. "The right side of his hair was on fire, his foot was on fire, he wasn't moving," said Francis McGrody, witness. "We're all standing going, 'Holy crap. What are we going to do now?'" The painter from Seattle was apparently electrocuted as he fell four stories to his death. It appeared he wasn't even ready to perform the job he was attempting. The worker's boss told KING 5 News the man wasn't even supposed to be on the boom. At the time the man was painting the side of a building. It was his first day on the job. Before chaos erupted on the scene, John McDaniel looked out his window from across the street. "It didn't look good," said McDaniel. "I was just looking up there. I was thinking, 'Maybe they know what they're doing. Oops. I guess not.'" Neighbors described hearing a loud hum then what sounded like a sonic boom. Mike Staczek looked out and saw billowing smoke. "I ran down with the only fire extinguisher I could find," said Staczek. Witnesses said the boom lift was ablaze, its tires blown out. And on the ground lay a 48-year-old man. "He was just laying there," described McGrody. "Part of you wants to be a spectator, the other part wants to go help the guy, but there's a wire on the ground." It all happened shortly before noon. The painter was up in the air more than 40-feet. Authorities said he was operating the boom by himself from the lift when his head came into contact with a 26,000-volt power line. Investigators are determining why the painter came so close. "The WAC code requires that you remain 10 feet away from high voltage, 600 volts or up," said one city worker," said Gene Brehmeyer, L & I Investigator. Investigators say the line may have jolted the painter several times before he plunged to the ground. L & I investigators say the investigation may take up to three weeks. If the painting company is found negligent, they could face a penalty. Power was knocked out to about 3,800 Seattle City Light customers. Power was expected to be fully restored Sunday evening.
Line Worker Electrocuted Nick Iyer An employee of a Connecticut-based electrical contracting company - hired by KeySpan to aid the Long Island Power Authority to work on their widespread heat-related outages - was electrocuted while repairing a damaged power line yesterday morning in Eastport, LIPA spokesman Bert Cunningham said. Dennis Strittmatter, 45, of Sound Beach, was working on a utility line at Montauk Highway and Dock Road at 10:36 a.m. when the accident happened, Southampton Town Police Department detectives said. Strittmatter was in a vehicle-mounted aerial bucket when his ground man heard an explosion, police said. Ground man Peter Melanson looked up and saw a second explosion. He lowered the bucket to the ground, and saw Strittmatter was unconscious and had sustained severe burns to the upper portion of his body. He was later pronounced dead at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital. A KeySpan spokeswoman said the company is investigating the accident.
UPDATE, Utility board mulls death of contract worker By JIM DOSSETT, LaFollette Press Reporter Safety procedures and trash collection billing were major topics at the LUB meeting on Monday evening. The agenda was light, but there was serious discussion too. General Manager Kenny Baird opened the meeting with a review of the tragic accident that took the life of Rutledge man, Cory Lampkin, an employee of Dillard Smith Construction, last week. Lampkin, 24, was electrocuted when he allegedly came in contact with an "energized line," while working on a project for LUB. Baird said the accident is still under investigation by the Tennessee Occupational and Safety Health Administration. "This is a tragic thing.… I hate that it’s happened. The victim had two small children and one on the way," said Baird. Board member Deb Woodson asked if the LUB had ever reported a fatality from electrocution. Baird said that there have been no fatalities on his watch (seven years) and he couldn’t remember if there had been any fatalities in the past. He also reported that there is a full-time safety program in effect for LUB. "We have monthly safety meetings and if someone is not using safety equipment, we’ll have a heart-to-heart chat," said Baird, who added that there are policies in place and procedures for disciplining employees who don’t adhere to the rules. Baird said that LUB has a full-time person, Darrell Leach, who is in charge of safety. "Water Superintendent Eddie Troxell does the training for the water department," he said.
UPDATE, Tribute paid to power worker Joshua Gay, a 26-year-old lineman, was electrocuted Tuesday. His funeral is today. By JAMIE JONES, Times Staff Writer SPRING HILL -- Those who knew and loved Joshua Gay, a power company lineman electrocuted while working early Tuesday, will say goodbye to him at a funeral service this afternoon. Service will be at 2 p.m. at West Brooksville Church of God. Friends said Mrs. Cynthia Gay, 24, a dispatcher with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, is taking one day at a time, trying to cope with the loss of her husband. She's working to stay strong for her 2-year-old son and a child on the way. Mrs. Gay is pregnant with the couple's second son, due in several weeks. Mr. Gay, 26, had worked for Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative for almost two years. He was working with three colleagues in a field west of Brooksville early Tuesday to restore power after a storm. Authorities said Mr. Gay climbed a pole and tried to put on his rubber gloves when he apparently slipped. Authorities believe that he instinctively threw one arm into the air and touched a live wire. Ernie Holzhauer, Withlacoochee spokesman, said the company will close its West Hernando District Office today from 1 to 4 p.m. so employees can attend the funeral. The office will reopen from 4 to 6 p.m. The company's safety department is conducting an internal investigation, which could take several months to complete, Holzhauer said. The number of people who have called Withlacoochee and the Sheriff's Office to offer condolences and assistance has been overwhelming, said Lt. Joe Paez. One man stopped by the Sheriff's Office this week and left a $100 bill for Mrs. Gay. Dozens of residents have sent donations and cards, and Sheriff's Office employees have donated more than $300, Paez said. Spring Hill firefighters also are collecting funds. "This has touched so many people," Paez said. Colleagues have set up a trust fund for the family with SunTrust Bank. Checks can be delivered to any SunTrust in Hernando County. "The family is very, very appreciative," said Denise Martinez, a 911 supervisor. Martinez said anyone wanting to help could give diapers for a newborn, formula or an infant seat, all of which can be dropped off at the Sheriff's Office. Mr. Gay's father, Herman, recalled his son as a family man who loved his work and friends. "He was on a roll, had everything together," Herman Gay said. "Everyone who knew him liked him."
ELECTRIC BLOWOUT: Buildings evacuated after 76,000-volt blast DAVE SOMMERS, Staff Writer Workers at Motor Vehicle Services building and surrounding businesses were startled but otherwise unhurt yesterday when a 76,000-volt electric main blew up, sending smoke and panic through the adjacent parking garage. Fire officials said the 3:30 p.m. explosion, which occurred underneath Montgomery Street, was powerful enough that it blew a 120-pound manhole cover into the air, and also sent hazardous fumes wafting through several buildings. Fire officials noted that the blast left numerous downtown businesses without electricity for several minutes while the motor services building itself was without power for several hours. Due to the power loss, numerous workers became temporarily trapped in several elevators and had to be rescued by officials who bypassed the electrical system and got the elevators working again. As a precaution, authorities also evacuated a day-care center on East State Street and sent the children to a nearby public library. "The whole building shook a little bit," said security guard Jeff Henderson, an employee of Health Care Pharmacy, while pointing to the dislodged manhole cover lying in the street. "Man, it was loud," he added. "We looked outside and saw all these people running up the street, so we got out too." Trenton Batallion Chief William Paradiso said firefighters at first were unsure what caused the explosion and smoke, so they opted to order the entire building evacuated. They later learned that the explosion occurred when the 76,000-volt electric main which runs underneath Montgomery Street essentially short-circuited, possibly due to the heat. The explosion sent fumes up through various vents into above ground buildings, he said. "We had a number of parents who came running up to us asking us about their children who were at the day-care center," he said. In order to restore power, Public Service Electric & Gas had to perform what is called a "lockout," in which the power to that city block was shut down and brought back up to strength using a different grid route. The power company was expected to perform a computer diagnostics test overnight to determine what caused the explosion. The results would likely be available sometime today, officials said.
Construction foreman faces sentence in death By Associated Press LANSING -- A construction company pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter for the electrocution death of a 24-year-old truck driver in Dundee. J.A. Morrin Concrete Construction Co. also pleaded no contest in Monroe Circuit Court to violating the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Act for ordering Robert Sorge, 24, to drive his truck under a 7,600-volt power line on Aug. 11, 2000, the Department of Consumer and Industry Services said in a written statement. Foreman James Morrin Jr. pleaded guilty to violating MIOSHA for directing Sorge to deliver gravel to a strip mall construction site despite warnings to hold off work until the power line was removed. Morrin faces up to one year in jail for the felony. The Toledo-based company also agreed to pay a $50,000 civil penalty.
Lineman electrocuted atop power pole Joshua Gay, 26, was preparing to work on a faulty power line when he apparently slipped and brushed against a line, authorities say. By JAMIE JONES, Times Staff Writer, St. Petersburg Times BROOKSVILLE -- The storm took Joshua Gay away from his pregnant wife and 2-year-old son early Tuesday morning. Gay, a lineman with Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, arrived in a field west of Brooksville with three colleagues to work on a faulty power line. He put on his climbing spikes and harness and started working his way up a pole, authorities said. When he reached the top, Gay tried to put on his protective rubber gloves and apparently slipped, authorities said. Deputies think he instinctively threw his arm into the air and accidentally brushed against a power line that carried 73,000 volts. Gay, a family man who loved to fish and play the guitar, was pronounced dead at 2:48 a.m. at Oak Hill Hospital, authorities said. He was 26. He left behind a wife, Cynthia, 24, and their son, Joshua Byron Gay II. Cynthia Gay is expecting the Spring Hill couple's second child in several weeks, authorities said. "He loved the mess out of his family," said Travis Batten, 23, a family friend. Authorities said Gay's co-workers immediately drove a company truck through a fence near Sunshine Grove Road and pulled him down from the pole. When Hernando County paramedics arrived, Gay's heart was not beating. They continued trying to revive Gay and took him to Oak Hill Hospital, but no one could bring him back. "We offer our deepest, heartfelt sympathy to his family, his friends and co-workers," said Ernie Holzhauer, spokesman for Withlacoochee. "We feel like we've lost a family member." A woman who answered the phone at Gay's house Tuesday said the family wasn't ready to talk about what happened. Gay's wife is a dispatcher for the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and a former mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs. "She was a great mermaid, elegant and always smiling, one of our best," said Robyn Anderson, general manager. "We feel terrible about what happened." Friends on Tuesday recalled Gay as easygoing and affable. "He was hilarious, could make anybody laugh," said Batten, who met Gay when they were students at Hernando High School. Batten recalled Gay's stopping by his home about a month ago and talking about the baby he was expecting. "He loved them so much," Batten said. Cody Sikes, 23, said Gay was good with people and animals. Gay liked to lie on the back of his steer, Blackjack. "He had it so he could almost ride that steer," Sikes said. "They liked each other quite a bit." Gay was hard working and helpful, and in high school, he would take his friends for rides in his father's old truck, Sikes said. As word spread about Gay's death Tuesday, employees of the Sheriff's Office and the Hernando County Government Center began taking up a collection for his family. Anyone who wants to contribute should contact Lt. Joe Paez at 754-6830. "We're going to do everything we can to help this family," said Sheriff Richard Nugent.
Utility worker OK after shock By CINDY SWIRKO, Sun staff writer ALACHUA - A city utility worker was injured Saturday night when he was working on a power line. The incident occurred about 9 p.m. Wyley Ritch was getting a tree limb off a line at NW 138th Terrace and 145 Avenue when he accidently touched a live wire, said Alachua Police Maj. Clovis Watson. Ritch lost consciousness for a short time and was taken to Shands at UF. "Mr. Ritch apparently touched a live wire, though he doesn't really remember what happened," said Watson, who was voted in as Alachua's new city manager on Friday. "He was taken to the hospital, and he is now conscious and alert. He appeared to be doing OK." Alachua County Fire Rescue spokesman Justin Lagotic said Ritch was struck by about 7,200 volts. Ritch was in a tree surgeon's bucket extended up to the line when the mishap occurred. Lagotic said Ritch has third-degree burns to fingers on both hands and that he escaped injuries that could have been much more serious. "The tree surgeon got him down out of the bucket. When we arrived on-scene, he was unconscious," Lagotic said. "He's extremely lucky to be alive, having that much electricity run through your body. He could have easily died."
Levelland Teen Dies From Electrocution A Levelland teenager has died after being electrocuted last week. Tyler Silvas, 16, died Wednesday evening at University Medical Center. He was severely shocked on Sunday, June 14, when he and his brother lifted an irrigation pipe near a power line. Tyler's little brother, Tanner, was released from UMC last week.
NOTE:
I am the mother of the Levelland Texas teenaged boy named Tyler Silva, whom you have added to your electrical injuries page # 4. Please update your page to correctly read that the accident occurred on July 14, 2002 and he died from his injuries 10 days later on July 24, 2002. They lifted a loose irrigation pipe into a directly overhead power line after chasing a squirrel into the pipe. the accident occurred in the Levelland City Park, while the boys were attending a birthday party. If you have any questions, please call me at (number removed) or you may email me at azure@(removed)
most sincerely,
Randi Rives
mother of tyler and tanner silva
Levelland Texas
Utilities worker killed doing storm repair work NEWNAN, Ga. - A lineman who had worked for Newnan Utilities since 1989 was electrocuted while doing routine storm repair work. James Richard Sewell, 35, of Newnan, had no heartbeat when emergency crews arrived about 3:15 p.m. Monday, according to Melvin Hunter of VitalCare EMS. Sewell was up in a bucket truck at the time, he said. Crews continued to perform CPR and defibrillation on Sewell and ran a full course of drugs, "but ... we never could get him back," Hunter said. Newnan Utilities General Manager Dennis McEntire said Sewell and other crew members were doing "routine storm restoration" related to Sunday's storms when he somehow came into contact with electricity. "He was a lineman, a good one and very well trained," McEntire said.
Man dies of burns from explosion at Portland plant PORTLAND - One man died Monday and another man was hurt after a reported explosion at a North Portland plant. Kevin Montavon, 44, from Portland died Monday after suffering third degree burns on 90 percent of his body. Earlier Monday he had been in critical condition at Legacy Emanuel Burn Center. Montavon also had inhalation burns. James Hall, 53, of Portland remains in critical condition at Legacy with second degree burns on 17 percent of his body. A spokesman for Portland Fire and Rescue says the accident occurred at Terminal Flour Mill, a grain-handling plant near Terminal Four at the Port of Portland. The two victims told rescuers that they had been doing electrical work on a 480-volt electrical panel carrying 1000 amps of power. Officials say no one else appeared to be injured in the accident.
Electrocution suspected in man's death at school A bricklayer died, apparently of electrocution, in Independence Junior High School in Palos Heights on Wednesday while constructing a wall in a classroom that was being remodeled, officials said. The victim was identified by the Cook County medical examiner's office as Ernesto Castillo, 38, of the 3100 block of South 54th Avenue, Cicero. The incident occurred between 1 and 2 p.m. in a section of the school, 6610 W. Highland Drive, that has been undergoing remodeling since last July, Police Chief Howard Roseen said. Neither Roseen nor Ted Struck, superintendent of Palos Heights District 128, knew how the accident happened nor the name of the company that employed Castillo. He apparently "did not fall from a height" and "there didn't seem to be anything that fell on him," said Struck, who had been observing the remodeling work earlier Wednesday. Struck described the classroom where Castillo had been working as "pretty much a barren room." "The only thing in there are the lights, which were on, and a fan, which was blowing," he said. Struck said district officials will meet Thursday with the architect and general contractor to try to determine what happened.
Pelham landscaper electrocuted in Indian Point accident By ROGER WITHERSPOON, THE JOURNAL NEWS BUCHANAN - A 28-year-old landscape worker at the Indian Point 2 nuclear power plant was electrocuted yesterday while clearing brush near the plant's incoming power line. The victim was identified by the Westchester County Medical Examiner's Office as Frederick Lawley of Pelham. The accident cut off power to the plant, forcing Entergy, which owns Indian Point, to switch to two backup diesel generators to supply electricity for the nuclear plant's systems. Power from the 1,000-megawatt plant was reduced by 5 percent for about six hours while the backup generators were in use, company spokesman Jim Steets said. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was notified about the incident. The accident occurred about 2:15 p.m., Steets said, while Lawley was using a weed whacker to clear brush from a hillside behind the power transformer serving Indian Point 2. Each of the power plants at Indian Point sends about 1,000 megawatts — enough to serve 1 million homes — to a Consolidated Edison transmission station at the edge of the Indian Point property. The plants tap their outgoing power lines with a single, returning, 138,000-volt line that goes to the plant's transformer and is then distributed to the plant itself. That provides the power for everything from lights in the complex to the nuclear reactor's control room. Steets said Lawley apparently leaned against a sapling on the hillside that was hanging over the incoming power line. The sapling touched the line, which is not insulated, and Lawley was electrocuted. Lawley was an employee of the Samuel Cockburn & Sons landscape firm in the Bronx, which handles groundskeeping at the site under contract with Entergy. Lawley had worked at the plant site for more than a year, Steets said. An emergency team from the Verplanck Ambulance Corps and the Verplanck Fire Department responded to the scene, Steets said, but Lawley could not be revived.
HOME SAFETY, Postman Finds Electrocution Victim Web Editor: Tracey Christensen A postal worker trying to deliver mail to a home in Marietta, Ga., ended up finding a woman's body in the back of the home. The worker knocked on the front door of the home on Yancy Drive, prompting a small child to answer the door. The postman asked the girl to find her mother. The child returned to say her mother was on the ground behind the house. The postal worker ran to the victim's side and administered CPR until paramedics arrived. Medical crews were unable to revive the woman, who has been identified as 38-year-old Rhonda Greiner. The Cobb County Medical Examiners Office determined that Greiner died as a result of being electrocuted. Investigators found the victim holding the frayed cord of a fan, which was plugged into a nearby electrical outlet. They believe the combination of the frayed wire and the dew on the ground led to the electrocution.
Utility worker burned in power line accident A Jacksonville utility worker was taken to Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville after he was burned Thursday performing routine power line maintenance. Howard Mullis, an apprentice line maintenance worker with JEA, was with with a four-member crew working on a 26,000-volt electric line when the accident occurred about 1:45 p.m. in the 6300 block of Archery Avenue in northwest Jacksonville. He suffered flash burns and was taken to Shands Jacksonville by rescue workers before being taken to the Gainesville burn hospital, said JEA spokesman Bruce Dugan. The city utility is investigating the accident.
Worker Electrocuted At Local Road Project A construction worker was killed on the job Sunday as crews wrapped up work on a bridge project. The victim, whose name has not been released, was electrocuted at the Graves Road overpass over Interstate 275 in Hebron, WLWT Eyewitness News 5's Tony Gnau reported. Police said that the man was installing metal guardrails next to the a truck with a hydraulic lift. The truck's lift came into contact with power lines above the road, unbeknownst to anyone on the ground, and the victim was shocked when he touched the truck, WLWT reported. The shock threw the man down the side of a hill. When rescue crews arrived, the victim's coworkers were trying to revive him with CPR. Doctors from University Hospital's Air Care helicopter pronounced the man dead at the scene, WLWT reported.
Nestle faces court action over worker's death
Nestle is to be prosecuted for alleged safety breaches in an incident where a worker was electrocuted and killed. The move follows an investigation into the fatal accident, in November, 1999, when Anthony Allen died at a Nestle factory in Hayes, Middlesex. Mr Allen was an employee of contractor Monotronic. Nestle is facing four charges arising from the incident, while Monotronic is facing three charges. The charges against both companies arise from the Health and Safety at Work Act, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations and Electricity at Work Regulations. The case is to be heard at Isleworth Crown Court, Middlesex, west London, on July 8. A spokeswoman for the firm said: "Nestle UK Ltd would like to express our sympathy to the family and friends of Mr Tony Allen over this tragic incident. "We have worked closely with the Health and Safety Executive in their investigation of this case, but as it will be subject to Crown Court proceedings from Monday it would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this stage."
Man electrocuted on rooftop
OKARA (APP): A man was electrocuted when he accidentally touched high voltage electricity wires running above the roof of his house in chak 51/2-L, a nearby village.It was reported that power cables of 11,000 kv passed quite low over the roofs of many houses in the said village. When a resident Mohammad Ashiq Dogar went up to the roof, he accidentally touched a wire and was electrocuted. After a long time, his wife and children found him dead hanging from the cable. They screamed for help but it was already too late. Neighbours rushed over and raised anti Wapda slogans. Wapda staff reportedly reached the spot after three hours, disentangled the dead body and left the locality in haste.
Construction workers pulled from hole
By LARRY HARTSTEIN, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
One worker was seriously injured, and two others were taken to the hospital today after an accident at a construction site at Ga. 400 and Windward Parkway. Police did not immediately release the names of the injured, including a man who apparently received an electric shock and some burns while working in a 20-foot hole. The shocks knocked the employee of Dillard Smith Construction Co. off the ladder, officials said. "We're not quite sure what caused the shock at this point," said Alpharetta Police Sgt. Chris Lagerbloom. The shock victim was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, but his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, Lagerbloom said. Two other workers received lesser injuries and were taken by ambulance to North Fulton Medical Center, he said. According to Alpharetta firefighters, the call came in about 11:15 a.m. A team of Alpharetta firefighters rappelled into the hole, using ropes. They stabilized all three workers on stretchers and then lifted them out by a crane. "They were just anxious, wanting to get out of the hole," said firefighter Randy Jenkins. "One was in a good bit of pain." Windward Parkway was closed to traffic for about two hours. Dillard Smith Construction was working at the site as a Georgia Power Co. contractor, officials said. The crew was working with a large power conduit, Lagerbloom said.
Oil well accident kills two
CHANUTE -- Two Coffey County men were electrocuted while working on an oil well near Chanute. Neosho County Sheriff Jim Keath said Bradley S. Fischer, 32, discovered his brother, Stephen R. Fischer, 38, of Burlington, had been electrocuted at an oil field pump jack after arriving at his job site on Tuesday. Bradley Fischer told officers his brother and a cousin had been working at the location. Fischer told officers he stopped at the job site to pick up his brother and Jamie DeVore, 19, of Le Roy, to return home for the day. He discovered his brother near the pulling unit, but couldn't find DeVore, he told officers. Officers discovered DeVore also had been electrocuted near the pulling unit, Keath said An investigation by the Neosho County Coroner's Office and sheriff's department investigators determined the accident occurred when a boom on the pulling unit made contact with overhead power lines. Both men were working for Birk Oil, of Burlington.
UPDATE, Ambridge man electrocuted at shredding company
By Bill Toland, Times Staff
HARMONY TWP. - An Ambridge man who worked at a local document-shredding plant died of electrocution shortly before midnight on Wednesday, and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is probing the accident. Eric Frey, 24, of 1207 Beaver Road was taken to Sewickley Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His death was an accident, according to the Allegheny County coroner's office. Police said that Frey, who worked at Iron Mountain Confidential Destruction Co. in Harmony Township, apparently touched an electrical panel next to the shredder at his workstation. The company stores and destroys records, media and electronic data. The Harmony operation is responsible only for shredding materials. Frey was electrocuted around 11:10 p.m. Wednesday, and officially pronounced dead about an hour later, the coroner's office said. Police performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation but were unable to revive Frey. Iron Mountain spokesman Ken Rubin called the death an "awful tragedy." "We're just very saddened," he said. "We're cooperating 100 percent with the authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues." Frey had worked at Iron Mountain, operating the document-shredding machine, about nine months, Rubin said. Harmony Township Police Sgt. Jim Essek said Frey was nearing the end of his shift and was cleaning his workstation with an air hose. Next to the shredder was an 8-by-6-foot electrical panel, housing circuits and wires. Essek said the panel doors are supposed to remain closed when the panel is electrically charged, but the doors were open on Wednesday night. Two co-workers, who fed a conveyor belt with materials to be shredded, noticed the open doors. "When they went around the door, they found him lying inside the panel," Essek said. Frey was slumped to the ground, and had an electrical burn mark on his left arm, he said. "That door should not open, as long as that panel is energized," Essek said. A sign on the outside of the panel door reads: "480 Volts." That's four times the voltage, and many times the current, delivered by a standard household electrical socket. The police investigation is over, and no criminal charges will be filed, Essek, said, but OSHA will continue to investigate. Frey was the son of Eric and Donna Frey of Aliquippa, and Alice Troia of Monaca. He was a 1995 graduate of Aliquippa High School, and he attended Robert Morris University. Frey's electrocution was the second local incident this week in which workers were severely shocked on the job. Three men working at Brentwood Towne Square were hospitalized on Tuesday after the crane on which they were working nearly hit a 138,000-volt high-tension line. About 400 Americans are electrocuted every year, and about 140 are killed on the job, according to OSHA.
Penn. Worker Electrocuted on the Job
HARMONY, Pa. (AP) - A worker was electrocuted while cleaning an industrial paper-shredder, authorities said. Eric Frey, 24, was found unconscious Wednesday night near the machine at Iron Mountain Confidential Destruction and died an hour later. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.
Worker electrocuted at Westin Copley
By Globe Staff and Wires, 6/25/2002
An employee of the Westin Copley Place Hotel in Boston died after an accident in the lobby last night, police said. The victim appears to have been electrocuted about 8:45 p.m. while he was repairing an escalator. The man, whose identity was not released, was pronounced dead on arrival at New England Medical Center, spokeswoman Suzanne Kim said.
One dead, one injured in power-line accident
Feds probe fatal accident; Investigators seek cause of construction electrocution
By Joyce L. Miller
CAMDEN COUNTY - Federal investigators are attempting to determine the cause of a construction accident that left one person dead and a second in critical condition when a drilling rig hit overhead utility lines. Nicholas Volkerding, 19, of Marthasville, Mo. was killed in the accident. He and his father, John Volkerding, 49, were part of a crew drilling holes for a billboard along Highway 54 in the Linn Creek area. Nicholas Volkerding's death has officially been ruled an electrocution. His father was also injured in the accident and was taken to the University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics in Columbia in critical condition. Representatives of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have cordoned off the site of the accident. They are trying to determine if equipment failure or operator error caused the accident. According to the Camden County Sheriff's Department, the accident was reported around 10:45 a.m. Monday morning by the owner of a sign company who was overseeing the installation of a billboard. Nicholas Volkerding was electrocuted when the drilling rig became entangled in overhead electrical lines. The overhead line was carrying 7,200 watts of electricity. In order to get to the victims and clear the scene of equipment, AmerenUE was called in to shut down electricity to the area at a nearby substation. The sheriff's department said there were crews from the drilling company and the sign company on the site when the accident occurred. The Volkerdings worked for BMS Drilling of Brumley. John Volkerding is listed in critical condition with extensive burns. It is unclear where John Volkerding was standing when struck by the electricity. His son was standing on the ground near the drilling equipment.
NRC will investigate cause of fire at Cook
By H-P STAFF
BRIDGMAN -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced it has begun a special inspection of the circumstances surrounding a circuit breaker fire at the D.C. Cook Nuclear Plant that left a worker injured. The fire took place Wednesday in a plant switchyard, which resembles a large electrical substation. The switchyard is about one-half mile from the plant's twin reactors. The NRC regional office in Chicago said the agency's inspection will review the causes of the fire, the work that was under way in the switchyard at the time, and repair and recovery plans. Both reactors were in operation at the time of the fire, the NRC said. Unit 1 was at 68 percent power after starting up from a refueling and maintenance outage, and Unit 2 was at 100 percent. The units remained in operation. The plant's owner, American Electric Power Co., said a 345-kilovolt transformer exploded, injuring a contract employee. The piece of equipment is about 18 inches in diameter, and flames reached seven feet in the air before the fire was put out by the plant's fire brigade. The injured worker was treated for cuts at Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph. As a result of the fire, AEP declared an alert for only the second time since it was built in 1969. The NRC monitored plant activities from its regional office, in Lisle, Ill., and its operations center in Rockville, Md. The agency's resident inspector was on-site at the time of the fire, and the senior resident inspector from the Palisades Nuclear Plant near South Haven went to Cook.
Electrical Explosion Leaves 900 Without Power
BAY VILLAGE, Ohio -- Power has been restored to nearly 900 customers in Bay Village who lost it Saturday during an electrical explosion. NewsChannel5 reported that the explosion happened at Walker Road, near Bradley. Officials said that an electrical pole exploded and fell, leaving plenty of live wires exposed. First Energy said that it does not know the exact cause of the fire. There were no injuries.
Worker Critical After Being Shocked By Power Lines
A Lorain, Ohio, man is fighting for his life Monday after being shocked by power lines. NewsChannel5 reported that the apparent accident happened as Derick Carter, 20, worked on the mortar on buildings in downtown Amherst. Officials said that Carter was on top of a "cherry picker" and leaned his head back into the power lines. He is listed in critical condition at MetroHealth Medical Center.
Man Electrocuted In Farm Accident Power county - a local farmer from parker, Idaho died yesterday afternoon. Timothy brown was electrocuted when the irrigation pipe he was moving struck a power line. His body was discovered by his father, Sid brown. Timothy Brown was only 22 years old. Idaho power safety experts tell us tonight.in the last 26 years there have been 24 incidences involving pipes and power lines. Of those, 7 resulted in death. Utah power and light offiicals did ask us to remind viewers of some simple safety rules: first: * look up! Always look up for overhead power lines before beginning any activity.* follow the 10-foot rule. Keep everything-you, the tools and materials you are handling and the equipment you are operating-as far away as possible from all power lines and never come closer than 10 feet.* never stand an irrigation pipe on end near a power line. * irrigate with care. Do not spray water on power lines, equipment or structures. Not only can it damage equipment and short circuit the electrical system, a stream of water hitting a power line can create a path for electricity. For safety materials in english and spanish call utah power at 1-800-791-6093.
Power-line touch fatal to teen BY ANA RHODES A teenage boy was killed in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday when a pole he was using to gather mangoes touched a power line. It was the second such death in three weeks in Broward. Alexander Sivirian, 17, had climbed nearly to the top of the tree outside a home at 539 NE Fourth Ave. He reached up beyond the top of the tree with a 17-footlong aluminum pole. It touched the line, sending a 7,620-volt surge that knocked Alexander out of the tree, and sent him crashing onto a plastic picnic table. Maria Serrano lives next door and heard Sivirian fall and break the picnic table. She said the young man's family members yelled for her to call 911. Fort Lauderdale paramedics arrived within a few minutes and rushed Alexander to Broward General Medical Center, but it was too late. ''When I saw him he was already dead,'' said Serrano. ''His hair and his feet were burned.'' She said the close-knit family was devastated as paramedics took Sivirian away.Alexander arrived in the United States only about a year ago from El Salvador, and was working at a restaurant, his family said. He lived in the tiny house with his older brother José; José's wife Marisol Flores and their three children; and Favio Flores, 75, a family friend who said he was the boys' guardian and practically raised them. A third brother, Nicolas also lives in Fort Lauderdale. ''They're such good people,'' said Serrano. It's horrible. Almost every day they were getting mangoes from that tree. I never thought something like this would happen.'' Family members said Alexander enjoyed sports, Latin music and watching Spanish telenovelas. ''He was such a great kid, such a hard worker,'' said Favio Flores. ``He never gave me any trouble.'' Detective Mike Reed of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department said that electrocution appeared to be the cause of death, but an autopsy would determine for sure whether the young man was killed by electricity or by the fall. The tree, which is about 30 feet tall, doesn't touch the power lines, which FPL officials say are 32 feet above the ground. A 55-year-old man was electrocuted under identical circumstances last month while picking mangoes with a pool net in unincorporated Broward near Pompano Beach. Eduardo Sandoval, 55, was on a 24-foot extension ladder at 248 NE 40th Ct. when the pole he was holding apparently came into contact with power lines.''There's nothing we can do to prevent this from happening,'' said FPL spokesman Bill Swank. ``When [the pole] made contact, the electricity flows down the pole. That's why we're forever encouraging people not to use poles in trees or anywhere near the line.''
Man injured when jackhammer hits power line at Tech construction site
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Chad Strickland was in the burn unit at University Medical Center after a jackhammer he was using Friday struck an underground power line
The Lubbock man was using a jackhammer to break up concrete at an entryway when it punched into a 208-volt power line linked to the transformer. The force from the jackhammer caused an explosion, and the hose attached to the jackhammer caught fire, District Fire Chief Chris Angerer said. The 35-year-old employee of Brown-McKee Inc. was taken to UMC with second- and third-degree electrical burns to his arm after the transformer box exploded at Doak Hall on the Texas Tech campus. Several fire units arrived at the scene at 10:47 a.m. and found Strickland lying on a sidewalk, Angerer said. Strickland was in serious condition Friday night, a hospital spokeswoman said. The transformer box was destroyed, and its power was isolated to prevent additional outages. Lubbock Power & Light Assistant Director Derrell Oliver said the transformer will be replaced within two to three days.
Power-Line Worker Electrocuted, Dies
Sauk Rapids Man Killed Working On Power Line
A Sauk Rapids man working on a power line in Benton County died Wednesday after being apparently electrocuted. Daniel Kirchner, 40, was in a ladder bucket extended from a truck co-owned by Accurate Electric, a Sauk Rapids-based electrical company while working on the power line in rural Minden Township, the St. Cloud Times reported. Kirchner was rushed to St. Cloud Hospital where he was pronounced dead Wednesday evening. Firefighters were called to the scene at about 8:15 p.m. Investigators with the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the death, standard practice whenever a worker is killed on the job. Kirchner's body was taken to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's office for the autopsy.
UPDATE, Report: No one criminally liable in Alachua boy's electrocution
News-Journal wire services
ALACHUA -- The State Attorney's Office says there is no evidence that anyone was criminally liable for the electrocution of a 12-year-old boy in a transformer room attached to the Alachua City Hall. The office conducted its investigation into the May 1 death of Adam Webb at the request of City Manager Jim Jarboe. Jarboe did not immediately return a call to The Associated Press. Webb's body was found by two city employees inside the unlocked transformer enclosure on May 3, two days after his mother reported him missing. Webb's fingers and left forearm were burned, indicating he had been electrocuted, according to the report. There was a flash burn mark on the insulator of one of the three transformers in the enclosure, indicating it had been touched. According to the report, there was no warning sign posted at the enclosure, and the lock to the gate had been lying on top of a meter outside the enclosure for four to five months. Webb entered the transformer enclosure about 7 p.m. on May 1. The report said his friend, 13-year-old Dwight Jenkins, was near Webb at the time of his death. Jenkins gave conflicting reports to investigators about what happened. In one interview, he said he heard a buzzing sound and didn't know what had happened so he left. In another account, Jenkins said he waited for Webb for nearly five minutes, called out to him and left when he got no response, according to the report.
Power supplier fined $160,000 after employee suffers burns
A New South Wales power supplier has been fined $160,000 after an employee suffered burns to 50 per cent of his body.Workcover says in 1999 an employee of Northpower, based at Port Macquarie on the state's mid-north coast, suffered a severe electric shock when a metal tape supplied to him by the company came into contact with a live electrical conductor. A statement by Workcover says Northpower pleaded guilty to a breach of the Occupational Health and Safety Act in the Industrial Relations Commission and has been fined $160,000 plus court costs.
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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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.
Substation blast investigated
By TOM LOUNSBERRY, Courier-Post Staff Public Service Electric & Gas officials don't know what caused an explosion at an electrical substation that burned four workers and knocked out power throughout the city. The four men were performing routine maintenance at a Red Bank Avenue substation shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday. That's when a transformer flashed flames and knocked out the station's circuit breakers, said company spokeswoman Kathleen Ellis. "Our investigators were there today trying to put together exactly what happened, but we don't yet have a reason," she said Thursday. Two PSE&G workers - Stephen Silver and William Rossi - remained in critical condition at the burn unit of Temple University Hospital , Philadelphia . A third worker, Herman Cappello, was in fair condition at the Temple faciilty , and a fourth, Michael Wolfram, was upgraded to serious but stable at St. Agnes Medical Center's burn unit in Philadelphia . Ages and hometowns were unavailable. The men were based at PSE&G's Moorestown service area shop on New Albany Road , Ellis said. Police on Thursday continued their investigation into criminal mischief during the power outage for more than 6, 000 city customers. Vandals smashed windows at two stores - African Imports and Nuwave Paging - and at an empty police department substation. All are in the area of South Broadway and Hopkins Avenue . Nothing appeared to have been stolen from the buildings, police said. Ellis said all power was restored by 11 p.m. Wednesday.
Worker electrocuted in SeminoleCounty
Associated Press
SANFORD — A workman was electrocuted Wednesday when the metal ladder he was carrying touched a power line. Steven Corey Griffin, 22, of Sanford , worked for Labert Erectors. He was moving a 25-foot aluminum extension ladder when it apparently came in contact with a power line carrying more than 7,600 volts of electricity, said Seminole County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Olson. Griffin was working on a building west of Sanford , when the accident occurred about 8:45 a.m. Rescue workers tried to revive Griffin , but he was pronounced dead at Central Florida Regional Hospital .
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. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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/
On February 12, 2002, at the construction site for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a backhoe operator struck and severed a buried 240-volt temporary power cable with his backhoe bucket. This tripped a circuit breaker and the operator was not injured. The contractor reported this as a near miss. (ORPS Report ORO--ORNL-X10SNS-2002-0001) The buried cable supplied electrical power for the construction of the SNS Front End Building, and was included in surveys for buried electrical lines. This temporary power line was noted in the original excavation permit, and was marked at the construction site for information. However, since the cable lay outside the area being excavated, no particular care was taken to preserve its markings, and the markings were substantially obliterated during the excavation. As the excavation progressed, the height of the earthen mound forming around the excavation became a safety concern, and the excavation crew decided to slope the wall. This sloping activity entailed digging beyond the area originally planned, and into the location where the temporary power line was buried. The investigation of this occurrence is still ongoing, and there are no formal causal analyses or lessons learned at this time. However, it appears clear at this point that the excavation permit should have been amended to address the new area being dug. If done correctly, the amendment process would have identified the buried electrical line from the previous surveys. On January 30, 2002, a similar event involving a backhoe severing a 480-volt buried line occurred near Buildings 52 and 58 at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The site utility drawing incorrectly indicated that there were no electrical lines in the vicinity. (ORPS Report ORO--SURA-TJNAF-2002-0001) On February 18, 2002, a contractor cut through a 110-volt conduit with his concrete-cutting saw while installing a shower drain line at the Argonne National Laboratory. As-built drawings were inaccurate, and there had been no instrument surveys for embedded conduits. (ORPS Report CH-AA-ANLE-ANLEPES-2002-0002) There were no injuries in either occurrence. The Office of Performance Assessment and Analysis has issued a lessons learned on Electrical Intrusion Events through the Society for Effective Lessons Learned Sharing (SELLS). This document (Identifier: HQ-EH-2002-01) can be accessed from the SELLS database at http://tis.eh.doe.gov/ll/listdb.html. The Office of Performance Assessment and Analysis is also requesting information from DOE and subcontractor offices on good practices in excavation and electrical penetration safety. The scope of electrical intrusion events includes accidental contact or penetration of underground utilities and embedded or hidden utilities within structures (i.e., walls, floors, and ceilings). These good practices should come from facility programs that have been successful in preventing penetration-type incidents. We intend to compile this information and share it throughout the DOE complex. Individuals or organizations wishing to respond to this request may contact Jim Snell, (301) 903-4094 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
NEARMISS, Firefighters have close call at Delray blaze By Nancy L. Othón, Staff Writer, Posted March 1 2002
DELRAY BEACH · Firefighters avoided electrocution and disaster Thursday morning as they extinguished a propane tank fire between two homes. Ten-foot-high flames were burning from the 120-gallon propane tank and were extinguished after about 30 minutes when two lieutenants with Delray Beach Fire Rescue's hazardous materials team walked to the tank to cap a gas leak, said Division Chief Russ Accardi. Lt. Ed Crelin and Lt. Greg Giaconne then noticed that a chain-link fence next to the tank was glowing, looked up and saw that a power line had snapped and was in contact with the fence. "It is a miracle these two guys didn't get electrocuted," Accardi said. Firefighters were called to the 2100 block of Southwest 13th Street shortly after 9 a.m. for the fire, which was called in to dispatchers as a "bucket of gas" on fire between two houses, Accardi said. When they arrived, they saw a fire impinging on the propane tank. "For us that's an urgent situation because it could explode, and it could have leveled a house," Accardi said. The situation was extremely unpredictable because the firefighters had no idea how long the fire had been burning or whether the tank was close to exploding, Accardi said. "It could take minutes or hours," he said. "It's such a dangerous situation for a firefighter to pull up on." Firefighters took cover behind a tree and immediately began to douse the flames, using a large nozzle that is placed on the ground and is unmanned. The ground monitor, connected to a hose on the fire engine, pumps out 500 gallons a minute and is used specifically for this purpose, Accardi said. The fire started when the live power lines energized the chain-link fence, which in turn ignited scraps from a neighbor's wood fence next to the propane tank, Accardi said. Rescue workers didn't know there was a live power line because no one had indicated their power was out or called Florida Power & Light Co. yet, he added."We are very fortunate that our two guys touching the fence did not get electrocuted," Accardi said. As if the firefighters weren't busy enough, Accardi said, a resident ran to the scene of the fire from across the street and reported his house was on fire. Firefighters contained the electrical fire to a single room, Accardi said. Nancy L. Othón can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 561-243-6633.
UPDATE, Worker in fatal electrical accident identified Herald staff
LYNNWOOD -- The Snohomish County Medical Examiner on Wednesday identified a boom crane operator who died last week when the crane's cable struck a power line. William Lee Dunlap, 40, of Tacoma was unloading supplies from a delivery truck at a construction site in the 14000 block of 55th Avenue W. He died of high voltage electrocution in the accident, said Leon Reichle, the Snohomish County medical examiner's chief investigator. The state Department of Labor and Industries is investigating the accident.
Two cable workers electrocuted
Wednesday February 27, 6:55 AM , By Chennaionline News Service
Dindigul, Feb 26: Two cable-laying workers were electrocuted after they came in contact with a high-tension power cable while digging a pit for laying communication cables at Malayakoundanpatti in this district today. Police said a worker was charred to death on the spot as his crowbar pierced a power cable while digging near the railway line. His colleague suffered serious injuries while trying to save him and died on way to hospital. A woman worker who tried to rescue them was also injured and has been hospitalized.
Tree-trimmers get the shock of their lives
By Mitch Hotts, Macomb Daily Staff Writer
A downed power line sparks Thursday morning in front of a house on Martin Road in Roseville. A tree-trimming crew working at the scene was thankful that no one was injured when the 4,800-volt power line fell. Members of a tree-trimming crew feel lucky -- even blessed -- after a live electrical line fell Thursday and touched at least two of them without causing any injuries. The incident happened about 9:45 a.m. on Martin Road near Pinehurst in Roseville as the Michigan Tree Co. prepared to cut down three trees for a homeowner. As the crew set up its crane and equipment, a Detroit Edison primary wire carrying 4,800 volts of electricity fell on a group of four workers. "I just don't understand it," company owner Mark Stroh said. "I saw the line and it was sparking; there's no doubt that it was a live wire. But none of my guys were hurt. Maybe we were just lucky today." The fallen wire caused a power outage for about 1,000 Edison customers in Roseville that lasted until about 12:30 p.m., according to a spokeswoman for the utility. It was the second time in one week that a power outage left the area along Utica Road between 12 Mile and Common without electricity. On Valentine's Day, electricity was out for about seven hours because of a similar incident, Edison reported. What caused the line to fall Thursday was not immediately clear. Detroit Edison said the damage in the Feb. 14 incident was caused by tree trimmers. They had no immediate answer for the latest downed wire, but suspect it may have something to do with the tree crews. But Stroh said his crew hadn't even started its work when the wire fell Thursday morning. "The Edison guy at the scene told me he didn't have a reason for it falling; there wasn't a splice or anything like that," Stroh said. Stroh, who's been in the tree-trimming business since 1984, said he is at a loss to explain why the wire didn't electrocute anyone. "My guys just ran when it came down. And then they went to church. We were all scared to death," he said.
Repairman electrocuted in Ozello
Homosassa man killed under a mobile home
02/22/02, Terry Witt
A Homosassa electrician was accidentally electrocuted on the job Thursday in Ozello, according to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office. James J. Gorman IV, 44, Campbell Street, a father of four, was killed while working under a mobile home at 14290 Sutton Court. Cpl. Derrick Bogart said Gorman's supervisor found him under the mobile home after Gorman failed to answer several calls to the company radio in his truck. He was working under the trailer and, for whatever reason, he either forgot to shut the power off or a water pipe broke while he was trying to make repairs, Bogart said. Bogart said Gorman, an employee of Suncoast Electric, was found lying in a wet area under the mobile home around 2:28 p.m. He apparently had been repairing a pump motor and was alone at the time. Bogart said Gorman had driven to the Ozello area to do several jobs, among them the pump repair. Gorman's supervisor was at the site as sheriff's investigators inspected the area where the accident occurred. He appeared to be badly shaken and would not talk about the incident. No foul play is suspected in the death, Bogart said.
UPDATE, Man Survives Power-Line Accident
Monday February 18 01:05 PM EST
A West Palm Beach landscaper was recovering in a local hospital after being electrocuted over the weekend. Pedro Graves was 30 feet up, trimming a tree on 28th Street, when a branch fell on a power line. Firefighters could only watch, because the entire tree was hot with electricity. Florida Power and Light has just a handful on emergency workers on call on weekends, so it took them nearly 40 minutes to get to a place where they could turn off the power. Hanging in the tree, the victim begged his co-workers to shoot him. Finally, the branch touching the live line fell, and rescue crews managed to get the man down. Graves was listed in fair condition Monday at St. Mary's Medical Center.
Worker pleads for death during electrical shock
By Scott McCabe, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer, Sunday, February 17, 2002
WEST PALM BEACH -- For 40 minutes Saturday, landscaper Pedro Graves hung in a tree 40 feet above the ground, screaming for mercy as electricity coursed through his body. Smoke curled from his head. Foam trickled from his mouth and ears. In Spanish, he cried for a gun, begging his co-workers to shoot him. Below, a dozen burly West Palm Beach rescue workers -- trained to throw themselves into danger -- could only watch helplessly from the back yard at 215 28th St. The entire tree was hot with electricity and Florida Light & Power was nowhere to be found, West Palm Beach Fire-Rescue spokesman Phil Kaplan said. Finally, the 2-inch thick limb touching the live line burned itself out and fell, and firefighters went to work about 12:20 p.m., using a long ladder, rope, pulleys and a makeshift harness to haul Graves to safety. An FPL worker arrived as this was happening and turned off the power. Graves was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center, where he was in fair condition Saturday night, a hospital spokesman said. "He's just plain lucky," Kaplan said. "In the grand scheme of things, this was not an easy one." Rescue workers got a call that someone was in the tree at 11:48 a.m. and arrived at 11:50, acting Battalion Chief Cletus Pirtle said. They called the power company at least twice, Kaplan said. FPL got a call at 11:59 a.m. and its worker arrived at 12:32 p.m., company spokesman Mike Schwebel said. "It seems that the regular procedures were taken and the time was reasonable," Schwebel said. "We're just relieved that he's going to be OK."As normal procedure, FPL will investigate, he said. Neighbor Anthony Harrington was renovating his home with friends at 210 29th St. when he heard Graves' screams on 28th Street. "Everybody up and down the block heard him scream," Harrington said. Graves had been trimming a tree when a 10-foot branch fell on a power line connected to the house. Electricity jumped from the branch to the tree to Graves. Graves' co-workers desperately tried to help, Harrington said. He and his friends had to stop them from raising the aluminum ladder and shocking themselves. When Graves fell limp and silent, the onlookers turned away. They thought Graves was dead. "I couldn't watch anymore," said neighbor Philip Scarborough. Within minutes, Graves came to and started screaming again. He continued this way, falling in and out of a screaming consciousness every five minutes or so, witnesses said. As the rain grew heavier, so did Graves' pain, as the water dripping down the tree became a electrical conduit, Pirtle said. Fire-rescue workers yelled at him not to give up, to think of his family. Graves replied that he wanted to die, he couldn't hang on. "It was very frustrating," Pirtle said. "There was nothing we could do." Pirtle, however, said it was hard to be critical of FPL's employee -- he was told the company had only five workers working three counties Saturday. Even with the electricity turned off, the rescue was tricky. Graves draped himself around a limb and weakly clung to branches. Smoke hung in the damp, rainy air. The ladder steps were slippery. Fire-rescue workers positioned a brown tarpaulin beneath Graves in case he fell. Two medics, Capt. Ron Lauth and Fire Medic Troy Schurter, climbed the ladder and wrapped a florescent yellow, tubular-webbing harness around him. Schurter stepped down the ladder, holding Graves to his chest. In Spanish, Graves moaned, "Water, water."
Tacoma worker electrocuted by power line
Saturday, February 16, 2002, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF and NEWS SERVICES
A man was electrocuted in Tacoma yesterday and another was hurt when a chimney liner they were holding touched a power line. The man who died was standing on scaffolding when the 30-foot metal liner hit the line, according to Tacoma firefighters. The other man was on the ground and was able to perform CPR on his fellow worker, who died later at a nearby hospital. The 1 p.m. incident forced Tacoma Power to cut electricity to more than 1,000 customers in the Hilltop neighborhood for about 25 minutes.
Worker electrocuted on farm identified
Moses Lake _ A man who was electrocuted while installing an irrigation system on a farm 71/2 miles east of here was identified Wednesday as Ismael Reynosa Garcia, 28, of Moses Lake. The Grant County Sheriff's Office said Garcia was using a boom truck to lift the last section of an irrigation circle into place about 5:20 p.m. Tuesday when the boom touched an overhead power line. Garcia fell out of his bucket and the truck caught fire as the boom continued upward and brought the irrigation pipe into contact with two more power lines. Two co-workers were in contact with the truck when it was electrified, but they were able to break free. Sheriff's officials said Leonardo Oliden Murillo, 32, of Warden, and Jose Antonio Alcala-Macial, 21, of Moses Lake suffered minor burns on their hands. The workers were employed by Center Pivot Assembling Specialist, the Sheriff's Office said. The state Department of Labor and Industries is investigating the accident.
Blast in Manhole Injures 8 Workers
By ELENA GAONA, TIMES STAFF WRITER
An explosion in an underground vault injured eight city workers in the Westlake area Wednesday morning. The Department of Water and Power employees, all men, were about to start working on a cable in the 200 block of North Vermont Avenue when the explosion occurred about 10:35 a.m., said Gale Harris, a DWP spokeswoman. Four workers were inside the manhole and four were on the street, Harris said. The explosion occurred when someone underground touched the cable they were about to begin working on, she said. "They were testing an underground cable line and apparently it was still energized and that caused the explosion," Harris said. Fumes also might have triggered the explosion, fire officials said. "It was determined to be a ... fire that flashes from fumes," said Jim Wells, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman. When firefighters arrived, there were no flames, but smoke was coming from the vault, he said. Five of the workers suffered minor injuries and were treated at hospitals, Harris said, but three were taken to Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks. Jeff Hanson, 37, of Santa Clarita suffered second- and third-degree burns to the side of his face and his ears and hands. He was in stable condition, said burn center spokesman Larry Weinberg. Earle Hough, 36, of Littlerock suffered minor burns to his face and hands and was in fair condition. David Ybarra, 37, of Hacienda Heights suffered smoke inhalation and burns to his face, ears and shoulder. He was in fair condition, Weinberg said. Harris said the department is still seeking to pinpoint the cause of the explosion. The blast cut electrical power to more than 1,700 residential and a dozen commercial customers, Harris said. Crews were working late Wednesday night to restore power, she said.
Hollywood electrical vault blast injures utility workers
LOS ANGELES (AP) - An explosion in an electrical vault beneath a Hollywood street injured several utility workers Wednesday. Four to six workers were being examined by paramedics, Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells said. One person was believed to have minor burns. The type of work being done in the vault was not immediately known. A cable spool truck and a work van were parked by the vault entrance at Vermont Avenue and Third Street.
2 workmen hurt in electrical accident
UNION-TRIBUNE, February 12, 2002
Two workmen were burned when one touched a live wire on the roof of a group-housing facility in Grant Hill yesterday. The accident occurred at Bay View Transitional Housing on 26th Street, near J Street, at 2:50 p.m., San Diego police said. The men were trying to replace a blown fuse when one of the men touched a live wire with a screwdriver, police said. The resulting explosion burned one man on his hands and forearms, the other on his face. They were taken to UCSD Medical Center's burn unit.
Man burned, may be tied to power outage
Published February 12, 2002
NORTHWEST SIDE -- Electrical power was knocked out for about 2,500 Northwest Side customers late Monday night after a man was apparently shocked in the basement of Madonna High School. The unidentified man was listed in critical condition with third-degree burns at Illinois Masonic Medical Center, a nursing supervisor said. At around 11:15 p.m., power went out in an area from Diversey to Cornelia Avenues, between Kenneth and Central Park Avenues, said ComEd spokeswoman Meg Amato. Minutes later, Chicago police officers saw the man wandering near Belmont and Karlov Avenues, near the school. Amato said the man was likely shocked inside the school's electrical vault. The doors to the vault had been forced open, Amato said. Power was restored to approximately half the area before midnight, and crews were working to restore power to the remaining customers.
Electrical worker critically burned
Published February 10, 2002, Chicago Tribune
A 44-year-old electrical contractor suffered severe burns on his face, neck and chest Saturday morning after an electrical short occurred as he was installing equipment at a Northbrook business, fire officials said. Michael Ziemba, whose address was not released, was in critical condition at Loyola University Medical Center with burns over 13 percent of his body, said hospital spokeswoman Sandra Martinez. No fire resulted from the incident at General Binding Corp., 1135 Skokie Blvd., and damage was limited to the electrical room, said Northbrook Fire Department spokesman Phil Costa.
Live wire contained at school construction site
By BRIAN DENEAL
ELDORADO - Eldorado firefighters responded to call of an electrical fire at the new high school building at about 10 a.m. Wednesday. On arrival they found a live wire had broken from the overhead line by a construction worker who was operating a forklift used during the brickwork on the building. The forklift was extended as the worker backed up and he did not see the line before snapping it."It was arcing. It was getting with the program," Fire Chief Mike McKinnies said. Firefighters remained on the scene until an Illinois Power worker could shut off the electricity. But while power was still in the line, it was apparently a sight to behold."You could hardly look at it, it was arcing so bad," McKinnies said. The line dangled about a foot above the ground, and though the situation was a dangerous one, no one was injured. McKinnies said power was off in parts of the city from about 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. requiring some Eldorado students and pupils to eat their lunch in the dark. The power outage resulted in another call, this one at 10:23 a.m. to the 1508 5th St. residence of Charles Jacobs. McKinnies said the power outage caused Jacobs furnace to smoke. There was no damage. A third call came from Roundy's on U.S. Route 45 south of Eldorado. McKinnies said workers were checking the alarm system and had failed to notify the fire department.
UPDATE, Power company cited by OSHA
By C.M. Mortimer TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, February 5, 2002
The U.S. Department of Labor has issued four citations against Allegheny Power and proposed penalizing the utility company $20,000 for its role in the accidental death of a lineman in Bell Township last summer. The department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Greensburg-based Allegheny Power for four "serious" violations involving the Aug. 10 death of Thomas Louis Moyes, 34, of New Kensington. Allegheny Power Co. said Monday the company intends to exercise its right to contest the findings. "We're not disagreeing with the findings, just the language in the citations. The four subject areas they issued citations for were consistent with our own internal investigation of the accident," said Allen Staggers, spokesman for Allegheny Power. William J. Sterner, president of Local 102 of the Utility Workers of America, said the union wasn't satisfied with all of the conclusions reached by OSHA investigators. Let's just say there are still a lot of unanswered questions as far as we're concerned. We're still not satisfied that some of the problems they cite have been abated," Sterner
said. Chip Moyes, father of the lineman who was killed, said he was angry about the company's reaction to the death of his son and what he called a lack of compassion. He said nothing can bring back his son, and his only wish is that no other family be subjected to the same grief. "From the day my son died until now, (Allegheny Power) has done nothing. They never even came to the house or called to ask how we were doing," said the elder Moyes, 56, of New Kensington. Chip Moyes said his son left a daughter who will turn 4 years old next month. Thomas Moyes was electrocuted after coming in contact with a storm-damaged power line in Bell Township. Injured in the accident were co-workers Edward Copney, 39, of Washington Township, and David A. Berkebile, 39, of New Kensington. The three were among a five-man crew of Allegheny Power workers who went to the site of a power outage near Avonmore and the village of Salina in Bell Township, where a storm had knocked out power to about 800 customers. Moyes was the first Allegheny Power lineman killed on the job in 12 years. According to OSHA, the citations were issued because: Workers were not trained in or familiar with safety-related work practices, or safety procedures to repair a downed
conductor while working from the ground. The company did not ensure that the workers maintained a minimum approach distance while splicing a downed
conductor. Insulating sleeves were not used by workers for protection. Temporary protective grounds were not placed or arranged in such a manner as to prevent each worker from being exposed to hazardous differences in electrical potential. As a result of the fatal accident, Allegheny Power meted out suspensions without pay to three crew members for alleged safety violations. In September, Allegheny Power said an internal investigation recommended that in the future crew members conduct a "tailboard" conference before any work is done on downed power lines. The report indicated that Moyes' crew had repaired a damaged cross-timber on one pole and was attempting to take slack out of the line being replaced when an insulator on the damaged cross-timber shot into the air and caused the line to come into contact with an energized line. That sent 25,000 volts through the line on which Moyes, Copney and Berkebile were working.
Mine cited for faulty breaker
By: B.K. NECESSARY of the Daily Telegraph staff, January 31, 2002
GRUNDY, Va. - Immediately following last week's electrocution death of a Buchanan County coal miner, Virginia mining officials cited the mine for a faulty high voltage circuit breaker which protected the underground high voltage for the mine. The report from the Virginia Dept. of Mines, Minerals and Energy's Division of Mines said the high voltage circuit breaker for the Mackie J Mine, Inc., in Buchanan County, Va., would not trip creating "an imminent danger to the life or health of persons in the mine." On Jan. 24, Ronnie Bert Endicott, 42, of Pilgrims Knob, Va., received fatal injuries at Mackie J Coal Company, Inc., after "coming in contact with energized 12,470 VAC power," according to the VDMME's Division of Mines report. Mike Abbott, VDDME's public relations manager, said when the accident occurred, Endicott was working at a site some 2,200 feet underground where he was setting up a section power center which Abbott said was a type of electrical substation for the mine. Abbott said Endicott's death was the first coal mining fatality for 2002 in Virginia. Abbott said safety inspectors with both the state and the federal Mine, Safety and Health Administra-tion have not determined if the faulty breaker box contributed to the accident or was made faulty as a result of the accident. "A violation was written and the condition was found to exist when the investigation got underway. It is too early in the investigation to say whether or not this condition was a factor in Mr. Endicott's death," Abbott said. According to the report, "The switch gear (high voltage circuit breaker) located on the line power surface substation ... located on the surface at this mine that provides protection for the underground high voltage circuit for his mine would not trip when treated under a ground fault or over current condition ... "The relays would activate but the breaker would not trip. These conditions create an imminent danger, a violation of this act has occurred, which creates an imminent danger to the life or health of persons at the mine." A total of 40 separate state mine violations were lodged in 2001 against Mackie J Coal Company, Inc., and the mine's owner Mack Stiltner by the Virginia Dept. of Mines, Minerals and Energy's Division of Mines according to the agency's violation records. All 40 violations against Mackie J Coal Co. were corrected according to the report. Some of the violations cited in the state report included inoperative panic systems on equipment, guards or other safety devices removed from machinery, inappropriate methane testing, uncertified workers performing mine tasks, electric equipment and wiring not being properly examined, combustible materials were allowed to accumulate where they could create a fire and inoperative audible warning devices on machines, failure to comply with approved roof control plan, inappropriate ventilation, no records of calibrations on all hand held methane detectors at the mine and coal dust and other combustible materials were allowed to accumulate excessively in working areas. There were two coal mining deaths in the state last year, Abbott said. Virginia's second death occurred Monday night at Virginia Pocahontas No. 8 near Deskins in Buchanan County, according to Abbott. Fred Ramsey "Junior" Hess, 54, of Honaker, Va., was killed, Abbott said, after a recirculation pump exploded at the mine's preparation plant. - Contact B.K. Necessary at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Firefighter saved from downed power line
By John Young, The Porterville Recorder
TULARE -- Quick action by a Tulare firefighter Saturday allowed rescue of a his co-worker, who had been shocked by a 12,000 volt power line. Engineer Mark Fernandes said firefighter Luis Nevarez, 33, of Visalia, was shocked at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the scene of a downed power line in the 2000 block of Alcott Street. Fernandes was acting captain on the incident. A person in the neighborhood had been trimming a tree and a falling tree limb brought the high voltage line down, Fernandes said. He was briefing the duty chief on the incident as Nevarez, a 10-year veteran, was working around the tree, he said. "We turned around and Luis was doing something in the tree," he said. "Before we knew it, he grabbed the power line," he said. Nevarez was being shocked, lost consciousness, still holding onto the line, Fernandes said. "He was being electrocuted. He was dying," Fernandes said. He had to separate the firefighter from the line, and the only thing he had was his clipboard, he said. "I knew I had one shot, so I threw it and knocked the line out of his hand," he said. He grabbed Nevarez by his turnout coat and dragged him away from the line, he said. Nevarez regained consciousness at the scene, and was taken to Tulare District Hospital, where he was stabilized. He underwent surgery on his arm and hand and is reported in serious but stable condition at University Medical Center in Fresno, Fernandes said.
UPDATE, Tampa worker's death brings contractor $112,000 OHSA fine
Tuesday, January 29, 2002 The Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. - A Tennessee company should pay $112,000 in fines for a worker's electrocution because it knew or should have known its procedures violated safety rules, federal officials said Tuesday. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration accused Dillard Smith Construction Co. of Chattanooga, Tenn., of exposing linemen to electrical hazards caused by improper grounding procedures. Jeffrey Kulig, 28, of Bowling Green, died in the July 25 accident at Tampa Electric Co. He was using a lift to work on high-voltage transmission lines 200 feet in the air when he touched them, investigators said. Kulig, a trainee, was working with a lineman, changing insulators and copper ground wires atop a transmission tower when Kulig used his hand to remove one end of the grounding jumper cable prior to removing it from the 230,000-volt line, OSHA said. OSHA cited the contractor for committing the violation with intentional disregard or indifference to OSHA requirements. The agency also issued six serious citations for failing to conduct job safety briefings, not properly training workers in the use of electrical equipment, not using proper grounding procedures and equipment and not maintaining required distance between energy lines and aerial baskets. A serious violation means there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew or should have known of the hazards. The company, which employs about 750 workers, has three weeks to contest the citations and proposed penalties before a review commission. The company, reached by telephone Tuesday, had no comment.
OSHA Proposes $148,500 in Penalties Against Olshan Foundation Repair Co. in Houston, Texas, for Safety and Health Violations
DALLAS -- An Olshan Foundation Repair Co. employee in Houston was electrocuted during a tunnel excavation beneath a residence undergoing a foundation repair. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company with alleged safety and health violations and proposed penalties totaling $148,500. The OSHA Houston south area office conducted the investigation that began July 30, 2001, and cited Olshan with two willful, one serious and one other-than serious violation. Two willful violations were issued for failing to ensure that electrical equipment was free from hazards, such as missing ground prongs, exposed conductors and damaged insulation. The second willful violation was for failing to use proper ground fault circuit breakers or an assured equipment grounding program to automatically trip off any leakage of electrical current. A willful violation is defined as one that is committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations. The serious violation was for failing to train employees in recognizing and avoiding hazardous conditions such as confined space, working in a conductive and damp location with defective electrical equipment. A serious violation is one in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew or should have known of the hazard. The other-than-serious violation was failing to document injuries and illnesses on the OSHA 200 log. The law requires employers to log in any occupational illness, injury or fatality. The company did not log in the fatality. An other-than-serious violation is a hazardous condition that would probably not result in serious harm or injury to employees. Employers and employees with questions regarding workplace safety and health standards can call the nearest OSHA office. OSHA's toll-free hotline may be used to report workplace accidents, fatalities, or situations posing imminent danger to workers. The number is 1-800-321-6742. The employer has 15 working days from receipt of the citations to either comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
2 hospitalized after apparent power-line shock near Lauderdale
sun-sentinel.com , Posted January 30 2002, 2:30 PM EST
A worker helping install a 720,000-volt power feeder line along Cypress Creek Road was rushed to a hospital Wednesday afternoon after suffering some sort of electric shock, firefighters said. The Florida Power & Light ground-crew worker, who was not immediately identified, was taken to North Ridge Medical Center shortly after 1 p.m. after collapsing at the work site at Northeast Sixth Avenue and 61st Court near Fort Lauderdale, Todd LeDuc, Broward Fire Rescue spokesman, said. Another FP&L worker, who was in his mid-30's, also was taken to North Ridge after complaining of numbness and tingling to his body. Both men had been using shovels at the work site, Le Duc said. Condition reports on both men were not immediately available. Le Duc said the incident occurred near a Westin hotel where work on the power feeder was under way. A crane with a 60-foot boom may have hit the power line and caused the jolt that shocked both men, LeDuc said. It appears there was some kind of significant electrical injury to at least one of the men, LeDuc said. It also illustrates the dangers of working near power lines - even if you're a pro - he said.
UPDATE, Woman sues Methodist Healthcare-Dyersburg Hospital for $40 million in brother's death
01/28/02, BILL HILES
A Memphis woman has filed a $40 million lawsuit against Methodist Healthcare-Dyersburg Hospital and several of its employees in connection with the electrocution death of her brother on Feb. 4, 2001. Sidney Connell, filed the lawsuit as the administratrix for the estate of Michael P. Connell and for the use and benefit of his heir, Chad Connell, 15. Her complaint, filed in Dyer County Circuit Court on Jan. 16 by Memphis attorneys Louis Chiozza and James V. Ball, also names several physicians and groups of physicians. Michael Connell, a licensed mechanical contractor, was electrocuted while performing air conditioning service at the Dyersburg Mall. Sidney Connell filed a separate $10 million federal lawsuit in June. That lawsuit, still pending in federal court, states that "on Jan. 27, 2001 Michael Connell was asked by Azizi International, Inc., a maintenance broker, to make a service call at Dyersburg Mall, specifically for the heating and air units of Hibbett Sporting Goods..." "In the course of providing the service," the federal lawsuit states, "Michael Connell, while standing in front of the electrical panel to check the electrical disconnect at the main electrical box and look at the breaker, opened the box and wires which were not properly secured fell onto Michael Connell, creating an electrical arc and injuring Michael Connell who received second and third degree electrical burns to his face, arms and hands." Connell developed septic shock due to the injuries and died of complications from the burns on Feb. 3, 2001, according to the complaint. The lawsuit alleges that Dyersburg Mall was guilty of negligence because "(i)t knew or should have known of the dangerous condition of the electrical panel, but did not remedy the dangerous condition", "did not exercise care in properly maintaining and servicing the electrical equipment", "failed to insure that the electrical work and construction on the building was within codes", "failed to warn persons ... of the fact that the wires were not secured within the electrical panel and were dangerous", and "failed to warn other repair and service contractors of the faulty nature of the electrical panel." The complaint alleges that the acts of negligence by the mall "... were the direct and proximate causes of the death of Michael Connell." The complaint makes similar allegations of negligence against Hibbett Sporting Goods and Azizi International. The state lawsuit against the hospital alleges that Michael Connell was evaluated by Dr. Elliot Landfield in the emergency room and "...was...treated for his flash burns only and not for the electrocution injury..." It blames Michael Connell's death on improper care by Landfield and other emergency room personnel because of alleged improper treatment before Connell was transferred to the Firefighters Regional Burn Center at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis. "...as a result of defendants' negligent medical care and/or malpractice (Michael Connell) did not receive proper and immediate medical care, his medical condition was compromised prior to and during his transfer and further compromised at the time of his arrival at the Firefighters Regional Burn Center ... which said acts were a direct and proximate cause of his death on Feb. 4, 2001." The complaint names three Methodist Healthcare-Dyersburg Hospital emergency medical technicians and a nurse at the hospital and John and/or Jane Doe, unnamed defendants employed by the hospital, UT Medical Group Inc. and Phyamerica Physicians Services of the Midwest Inc. The complaint includes excerpts, said to be from an autopsy of Michael Connell's body, stating that he died of complications from the electrical injuries he received at the mall. The complaint alleges that "the defendants, jointly and/or severally, were guilty of... medical negligence ... that ... were the direct and proximate cause of the injuries to (Michael Connell) ... resulting in his death... ." It claims the hospital failed to provide education and knowledge to its staff in the handling, treatment and transfer of medical emergencies, "failed to appropriately ensure that its employees, personnel and/or staff applied, followed and carried out all applicable policies, procedures and guidelines in full force and effect for the treatment of injuries presented in the instant case..." and failed "...to appropriately ensure that (Michael Connell) received proper, appropriate and non-negligent medical care and/or treatment necessitated and required for emergencies presented in the instant case... ." The complaint further alleges that the hospital failed to ensure the safety of Michael Connell while he was in the care of the hospital and its emergency medical personnel. As to the emergency medical technicians and nurse, identified in the complaint as Shands, R. Gatlin, Buchanan and Connie Ray, R.N., the lawsuit claims they failed "...to secure the necessary information, knowledge and skills in the medical care and/or service required of them to properly assist the physicians in the treatment of (Michael Connell)..." and failed "...to appropriately follow and adhere all policies, protocols, procedures and guidelines applicable to them in full force and effect for the medical treatment of injuries presented in the instant case... ." The emergency medical personnel also were negligent in failing to properly equip the emergency room and in failing to appropriately monitor Michael Connell's condition, the complaint states. The 17-page complaint reiterates the complaints against each of the defendants and claims recovery from them for "...the wrongful death of Michael Peel Connell on Feb. 4,2001, emotional pain and suffering by Michael Connell ... pecuniary value of the life of (Michael Connell), ... loss of earning capacity of (Michael Connell) ... any and all medical expenses for (Michael Connell), ... funeral expenses, ... loss of consortium, companionship and society (to Sidney Connell), "... for mental pain and anguish (of Michael Connell's heirs) and for Sidney Connell's "... loss of wages and all expenses she has incurred as a result of the death of her brother... ." The complaint claims that the actions of the defendants are "... so willful and wanton as to shock the conscious (sic) of the community at-large and would entitle plaintiffs to punitive damages against all defendants named herein." The complaint asks for $20 million in actual damages and $20 million in punitive damages and seeks a jury trial.
Indiana Man Critically Burned In Power Line Accident
A man trying to install a CB antenna in a tree suffered third-degree burns over half his body when the antenna touched a power line in Brazil, Indiana, authorities said. 21-year-old Gary Long was critically burned when the CB antenna he was working on fell onto a power line, sending electricity through the antenna, shocking Long and burning the tree. Long remained in critical condition yesterday at the Wishard Memorial Hospital burn unit in Indianapolis, where he was airlifted after the accident. When emergency workers arrived at the accident scene, they found the CB antenna draped across the power line, the tree was charred from the fire and Long hanging onto a lower branch. It took 10 to 15 minutes to lower Long from the tree, as Brazil firefighters waited for Cinergy/PSI workers to cut power to the line.
Manhole covers fly after S.F. explosion
Published Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2002, in the San Jose Mercury News, BY ROBIN EVANS
CAR LOFTED, NEARBY HOTEL DAMAGED; ONE INJURED
Glass in half a dozen buildings in San Francisco shattered when an underground explosion shot powerful sound waves and three manhole covers into the air Tuesday morning. One of those covers, made of cast iron, was propelled up into a parked passenger car, lifting it temporarily off the street then wedging underneath it like an upturned coin. Another jetted 35 feet in the air and into the Carlton Hotel, damaging its facade and breaking windows in the lobby and on the second floor, officials said. ``What was truly amazing was a 300-pound-plus manhole cover made it up 30 to 35 feet on the hotel. It was a significant amount of force,'' said Fire Department Capt. Pete Howes. If anyone had been in the way, he said, ``it would have been a tragedy.'' A third, smaller, concrete manhole on the sidewalk was also blown off its base, and one worker was sent to the hospital with minor injuries. A check of affected buildings determined there were no other injuries or fire hazards from the explosion, Howes said. ``People were home but thankfully no one was close to or looking out of the windows,'' he said. ``The windows were completely blown out.'' Traffic was barred from entering the area and PG&E immediately cut off electricity to 3,000 residents nearby as workers looked for the source of the problem, said spokesman Paul Moreno. By late afternoon electricity had been restored to all but a handful of customers. ``Our first priority is to restore power, but they may be without power for quite a while because we have to restring the cable in the entire circuit,'' he said. The electric cable underground was damaged, but Moreno said it's still ``chicken-and-egg: Did the cable fail because of the explosion or cause the explosion? ``We don't know what caused the ignition source,'' Moreno said. But he said that before the explosion, PG&E crews doing routine maintenance just downhill from the explosion, at Larkin and Sutter streets, noticed smoke from an open manhole cover. Underground explosions are common city phenomena and their cause has prompted a number of studies, Moreno said. ``A variety of things could happen. This happens all over the world. You can get sewage vapors, natural gas, methane buildup, fuel that gets down into an area,'' he said. ``It's going to be tough to pinpoint the exact source.''
Two men electrocuted in Zephyr
Family and friends were slated to gather Tuesday evening in Riverside Park to remember two men who were electrocuted Saturday in Zephyr. The Saturday afternoon accident claimed the life of Zephyr resident Dexter Allan Jewell, 36, and his brother-in-law, Dino Lee Ogden, 38, of Brownwood, authorities said. The two men were trimming a tree from a raised utility bucket when a power line touched one of them from behind and almost instantly electrocuted both men. According to sheriff's department reports, the accident was witnessed by others who were able to call emergency personnel, including the Zephyr Volunteer Fire Department and Brown County Sheriff's deputies. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.
UPDATE, Portsmouth company fined in electrocution of worker
January 23, 2002
Watch 13News' story on the death of Rickie Boyd and his familiy's support for the company he worked for. A Portsmouth moving company has been hit with a nearly $26,000 fine after one of its workers was electrocuted. Rickie Boyd fell from a moving house. He and two other men from Lang Construction, had to negotiate the home through power lines. In the process, Boyd was electrocuted. The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry fined Lang Construction, saying the company failed to tell the power company about its plans to move the house -- among other things. Lang Construction is appealing the fine. Several members of the Boyd family work for Lang Construction and think the state's action is unfair.
Dump truck snags power lines, snaps utility pole
By Susan Kirkland, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer01/18/02 About 200 people were without power more than five hours Friday after a dump truck snagged several electrical power lines on U.S. 411, causing the pole holding them to snap. Around 11:45 a.m. Friday, a Wellington Industries dump truck, driven by David Wigger of Cassville, was dumping gravel in the median on U.S. 411, near its intersection with the East Rome Bypass, when it snapped the pole. A section of U.S. 411 was closed until 6:15 p.m. while crews replaced the 65-foot pole and moved lines to a new pole. According to Lt. Terry Autry of the Rome Police Department and Jimmy Darby, supervisor with Georgia Power: The truck had raised its bed to dump gravel in the median, where the Georgia Department of Transportation was working, and caught the lines. As the driver drove down the turn lane, gradually dumping the gravel, the vehicle pulled the lines, causing the pole to break. He's lucky he wasn't electrocuted, said Autry of the Rome Police Department. At one point, Autry said, five patrolmen were in the area helping direct traffic. A little more than a quarter of a mile of U.S. 411 between its intersection with the bypass and Callier Springs Road was closed. He said no charges have been filed but the incident was still being investigated. Georgia Power had several trucks at the scene with crews working, and electricity was restored by around 5:15 p.m. Luke Lumpkin, supervisor with BellSouth, said service to its customers should not have been affected, but fiberoptic cables were moved to the new pole. We've lost a lot of business, said Debra Hanson, manager of the Favorite Market at the intersection of U.S. 411 and the bypass. They've routed people around us. Hanson said most of the loss would result from not being able to sell gas. White plastic bags covered the nozzles of the pumps. Regular purchases were added on a calculator instead of the cash register, she said. Sometimes things like this happen - we don't like for them to, but they do, said Roger Fletcher, DOT project manager. The project calls for widening and extending the turn lane on U.S. 411 at the intersection.
KCPL Worker Hurt By Power Line
A man was badly burned after coming in contact with a high-power line Wednesday night, KMBC 9 News reported. The victim, a worker with Kansas City Power and Light, came into contact with the line while working on an aerial platform, or a cherry picker, near 87th Street and State Line Road. The man was taken to a local hospital. Witnesses said he was conscious when he left the scene, but his condition was not known.
Explosion, fire knock out power at Odessa hospital
Wednesday, January 16, 2002, The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal , Associated Press
ODESSA, Texas (AP) - An electrical explosion temporarily knocked out the power at a Permian Basin hospital on Tuesday. The explosion rattled Medical Center Hospital, halting five to eight surgeries being performed at the time, said hospital administrator David Meisell. Emergency generators came on within minutes, and the surgeries were completed, he said. No injuries were reported. Ambulances and emergencies were diverted to other hospitals through Tuesday night. Meisell called the explosion an electrical discharge and said it caught some insulation on fire. The smoke blackened the power plant vents, Meisell said in Wednesday's editions of the Odessa American. Power was restored at the hospital by Tuesday night, hospital spokeswoman Renee Earls said.
Santa Fe Building damaged by fire
Web posted Monday, January 14, 2002, 10:35 a.m. CT
Potter County's Santa Fe building remained closed until further notice today following an electrical explosion at 1:38 a.m., which filled the building with smoke. An electric-panel explosion caused a fire in the first subbasement, Capt. Bob Johnson of the Amarillo Fire Department said in a news release. "This was essentially a large electrical short," Johnson said. "The fire was confined to the electrical panel but smoke spread throughout the entire building." No one was injured. Firefighters brought the fire under control in about 45 minutes. Today, notices posted on the locked Santa Fe doors read: "Santa Fe building CLOSED until further notice. In case of emergency contact the county judge office 379-2250." Potter County Judge Arthur Ware said the building is operating with emergency generators, which must be refueled every 15 hours. Ware commended the Amarillo Fire Department for their work in going through the building. He said he was notified of the fire at about 2 a.m. Damage estimates to the building are not yet available, but Ware said the explosion spread copper and zinc dust throughout the basement. Ware briefed Potter County commissioners on the fire situation at their regular meeting today. Until officials determine the extent of the damage, Ware asked that all equipment purchases be delayed.
"The worst-case scenario is $100,000 but insurance should pick up after that," he said. Read more details in the Amarillo Globe-News or at amarillonet.com
UPDATE, Repairs to electrical vault downtown may take week ; Fire on Friday forced tower to evacuate
By Margo Rutledge Kissell, Dayton Daily News
DAYTON | Dayton Power and Light Co. workers have not determined the cause of Friday's fire under Second Street that disrupted power to the Kettering Tower and two other buildings and prompted the tower's evacuation. Fire in an electrical vault caused underground explosions about 4:30 p.m. that sent two manhole covers into the air and shot flames about 15 feet high through the openings. The fire knocked out power to the 30-story tower at Second and Main, the Relizon Building and the Arcade. Power was restored by 4 a.m. Saturday after workers isolated a bad cable, said Kevin Crawford, director of DP&L service operations. Crews likely will spend all week repairing damage from the fire. Some lanes along Second Street might be blocked to allow them to work, and a few street lights in the area could remain out until the end of the week, Crawford said. DP&L has not calculated the amount of damage, but Crawford said, It's not extensive at all. There was no permanent damage to the electrical vault, he added. On Monday, everything was back to normal at the tower, said Susan Considine, general manager of the Kettering Tower, where about 700 employees work at 60 businesses, including Robbins & Myers, Olivia's restaurant and Vectren. We didn't suffer any damage to the building, no damage to any of the equipment, she said. Everyone was safely evacuated (Friday), which is the most important thing. Dayton Fire Department spokeswoman Victoria Carr said fire investigators are not assisting DP&L in determining the cause of the fire because foul play is not suspected. When it's determined at the scene to be accidental, they don't call for investigators, she said.
Power line kills worker, hurts another
01/15/02, By BILL BRAY, The Express-Times
HIGH BRIDGE - A siding installer was electrocuted and another seriously injured Monday morning when the scaffold they were assembling touched a 7,200-volt power line. The two workers were erecting a set of pump jacks at 9:57 a.m. on the side of a two-story home at Union Avenue and Hart Street when one of the metal posts touched the power lines. Walter Cabrerra of Irvington, N.J., suffered electrical burns and internal injuries. He was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center then flown to the burn center at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, N.J., where he was listed in critical condition late Monday. Police were withholding the name of the dead man late Monday pending notification of his family. Nicholas Susalis, chief detective for the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office, said the death is being ruled accidental. He added that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and GPU Energy also are conducting investigations. Susalis said the man died at the scene but was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Both worked for Luis A. Chavez Construction of Bellville, N.J. Calls to Chavez's home were not returned. At the home where the men had been working, a set of pump jacks remained in place. The jacks use two aluminum poles, each around 40 feet long, two jacks and an aluminum ladder. The poles are threaded through the jacks, stand up on end and anchor to the top to the building. The ladder then spans the space between the poles and fastens to the jacks. The system allows workers to stand on the platform created by the ladder and use the jacks to adjust the platform's height. Susalis said both men were on the ground and touching the system when the wire was struck. New off-white siding covered half of the Victorian home. The contractor's equipment was piled in the yard and some blue insulation board was all that indicated work had begun on the side where the electrocution occurred. A man who identified himself as the owner's son said his mother did not want to comment. He said he was there to see what happened. Mike Yarnell, assistant area director for OSHA's Avenel office, said its investigation is ongoing and had few details. He said if the contractor violated federal safety guidelines he could face a $5,000 fine. "If there was a criminal act we would contact the Justice Department," Yarnell said. He did not know if any regulations were broken but said there are rules governing the use of scaffolds around power lines. Yarnell said electrocution from accidental contact is common in New Jersey but not this way. More often, workers using back hoes or cranes run into lines. On average, one to two workers per year die this way in New Jersey, Yarnell said. Ron Morano, spokesman for GPU, said he had few details on the incident. He said power lines in the area are about 30 feet in the air. There is a telephone pole on the corner with power lines running along both the side and front of the home.
Power restored in downtown Dayton
Dayton Daily News
DAYTON | Power was restored early Saturday to three downtown buildings whose electricity was disrupted by underground explosions Friday afternoon, a spokesman for Dayton Power & Light said Saturday. A fire in an electrical vault under Second Street caused the explosions that sent two manhole covers flying and shot flames about 15 feet high through the openings. The fire knocked out power to the Kettering Tower, the Relizon Building and the Arcade. Kevin Crawford, director of DP&L service operations, said power was restored by about 4 a.m. Saturday. Crawford said repair crews "did a fantastic job" repairing damage. Crawford and Dayton Fire Department officials said Saturday that investigations were continuing.
PECO repairman burned
Thursday, January 10, 2002
A PECO Energy Co. repairman was burned yesterday as he checked a malfunctioning electric meter outside a commercial building on Biles Island in Falls. A PECO Energy Co. repairman was burned yesterday as he checked a malfunctioning electric meter outside a commercial building on Biles Island in Falls. Steve Schrader, 36, was burned when a "flash fire" erupted about 8 a.m. after he removed the meter's glass cover, PECO spokesman Michael Wood said. The fire caused second-degree burns on Schrader's cheeks and left ear. A piece of flying metal left a third-degree burn on his face, Wood said. Physicians at Capital Health Systems' Fuld Campus in Trenton told PECO that Schrader wouldn't need plastic surgery. He was expected to stay the night at the hospital and be released today, Wood said. Schrader, a PECO energy technician since 1995, was wearing safety goggles, a hard hat and fire-resistant clothing - the standard gear for field workers, Wood said. He added that the gear most likely prevented Schrader from being more severely burned. Schrader was following up on a complaint of a damaged meter at the Penn Warner Group, a building on Biles Island, Wood said. The Penn Warner Group is a subsidiary of Waste Management Inc., which owns the island, WMI spokeswoman Judy Archibald said. The problem was caused by a circuit board owned by Penn Warner Group. As a precaution, PECO shut power to the building, Wood said. Most of Biles Island's 467 acres are mined by the Penn Warner Group for the stone and gravel used to bury trash at WMI's landfills in Falls and Tullytown. About 41 acres of the island's northern tip have been designated a wildlife preserve, Archibald said.
Worker Severely Burned By High-Voltage Line
A worker for a JEA subcontractor has been critically injured by contact with a high-power line on Airport Road. JEA spokesman Bruce Dugan told Channel 4 he came in contact with a 69,000-volt line. The victim was rushed to Shands via ambulance with life-threatening, third-degree burns. Channel 4 will have a live report tonight on Eyewitness News.
Electric Motor Explosion
by Melanie Kliebert, KRIS-TV
An electric motor explodes injuring the two mechanics working on it. It happened at electric motor rewind, incorporated just before 9:00 this morning. According to the fire department, fumes inside the motor ignited setting off a small explosion. The blast knocked out the ends of the motor, striking one man in the chest, the other in the hand. KRIS6 news is told the injuries were not life threatening, but both men were taken to Christus Spohn Memorial hospital for treatment.
Electrocution kills worker in apartment
Published Tue, Jan 8, 2002, By CHRIS BENDER, Gazette staff writer
The maintenance director at the Lady's Pointe II Apartments was electrocuted Monday afternoon while he was working on a water heater, according to Lt. Rick Krob of the Burton Fire District. Robert L. VonFossen, 61, of Beaufort, died of electrocution and was pronounced dead at Beaufort Memorial Hospital at 4:26 p.m., said Beaufort County Coroner Curt Copeland. Krob said emergency units were dispatched at 3:30 p.m. and arrived within a few minutes. He said firefighters did CPR on the scene, but could not resuscitate VonFossen. VonFossen was taken to BMH by Beaufort County EMS. VonFossen was working in Ken Jackson's apartment, who was there at the time. Jackson said VonFossen had come over a little after 3 p.m. "He was working on the hot water heater," Jackson said. "I didn't hear anything when it happened." Jackson said he didn't see it happen. He said he'd offered VonFossen a cup of coffee because it was getting cold in the apartment. "When he didn't respond, I knew something was wrong," Jackson said. "I pulled him away from the unit and called EMS." Troy Glover, Jackson's neighbor, said he came home from work Monday evening to find VonFossen's white Chevrolet Blazer parked in his parking spot. "I didn't think much of it at the time," Glover said. "My neighbor came over and told me what happened later." Glover said he didn't know VonFossen that well, but had seen him around the apartment complex working on various projects. "He was a diligent worker," Glover said. "He always went above and beyond what was required of the job." Stephen G. Jones and Edna L. Jones, who live in Lady's Pointe Apartments, said VonFossen was a kind and friendly man, even though they knew him only as "Bob." Stephen was at home Monday afternoon when a fire truck arrived at the main office near his apartment. "I didn't think much about it at the time," he said. In fact, he said he never would have guessed it had anything to do with VonFossen. Stephen said VonFossen had been by his apartment Monday morning to fix a light in the kitchen. Though the couple only called VonFossen on occasion for repairs, Edna said he was at the complex working every day. "Mostly we talked to him every day," she said. "He'd pick up trash around the complex." The couple said VonFossen worked hard to keep the complex neat and clean. Stephen said he had been on the job only a few months, but really seemed to enjoy the work. "He was just a good person," Stephen said. "If you wanted a person who was a good friend, he was that person."
Investigation into motorway electrocution Investigation continues into the death of Greg Cousins, 20, who died before Christmas on an M1 slip road near Dunmurry, Belfast, after a crane contacted overhead power cables. Mr Cousins was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
Two Men Burned In Explosion At Indy Business
Paramedics rushed two men to the hospital Thursday after an explosion at an east side business. The blast at Trilithic Inc., 9710 Park Davis Drive, occurred about 9:30 a.m. as workers from a subcontractor worked on the electrical system. "It was a pretty massive explosion," employee Mike Wilson said. Jim Allen, 44, was taken to Wishard Hospital with first- and second-degree burns to his hand and forehead. Jerome McKinney, 29, received first-degree burns on his neck. Both are in stable condition and likely will be released Thursday, authorities said. No other Trilithic employees were hurt. Damage was estimated at $150,000, according to officials. Trilithic makes electronic parts for the cable television and wireless telephone industries.
Trash truck mishap causes power outage
Published Sunday, December 23, 2001
A city garbage truck raked utility lines with an upraised lifting apparatus as it left a west Columbia grocery store yesterday morning, resulting in a loss of electric power and phone and cable television service for a portion of town. The power outage began about 8:45 a.m. in the neighborhood of Gerbes Supermarket, 1729 W. Broadway, and lasted about an hour and 15 minutes. A manager at the store said the business operated without hindrance after switching to an auxiliary power supply. Columbia police Sgt. Ken Smith said in a prepared statement that the garbage truck left the supermarket lot with its lifting apparatus in an extended position, damaging several overhead lines. The driver realized what had happened and halted the truck at the corner of Ash and Pershing streets. Police said several residences and businesses in the area reported power, telephone and cable television outages.
Construction worker electrocuted
By AUTUMN C. GIUSTI, Staff Writer
DELAND -- A 28-year-old construction worker died Tuesday morning when he was electrocuted while helping pour concrete, police said. The accident happened at the construction site of the DeLand Dermatology Center at West Plymouth and North Orange avenues at about 11:43 a.m. The worker, William Bryan Miller of Leesburg, was holding a concrete chute at the end of a crane, directing the flow of concrete, when a boom on the crane came in contact with high-voltage power lines overhead, said police spokeswoman Barbara West. The electrical current traveled down the crane boom, through Miller's hands and down to his feet. The shock stopped his heartbeat and his breathing immediately, said EVAC ambulance spokesman Mark O'Keefe. Paramedics attempted unsuccessfully to restart his heart on the way to Florida Hospital-DeLand. He was pronounced dead at 1:08 p.m. Miller had been working on the project with a Eustis-based subcontractor. Co-workers said he left behind a wife and several brothers and sisters. Police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the electrocution, but West said it appeared accidental. Co-workers at the site Tuesday evening were not sure who was operating the crane. The construction site was shut down for the remainder of the day.
UPDATE, Explosion at Sears blamed on error
December 17, 2001
MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Human error is to blame for an explosion that temporarily shut down a Sears store October 29. Investigators in Middleburg Heights say two technicians working on an electrical panel accidentally set of the explosion. The panel was carrying approximately 5,000 volts of electricity. Both men were injured in the incident and face a lengthy recovery.
Teenage electrocuted near Belfast
online.ie 16 Dec 2001
A man has been killed in an accident near Belfast last night. The victim, in his late teens, was electrocuted after a crane struck an overhead cable. Ambulances were sent to the scene on the M1 motorway at Dunmurry but failed to revive the man and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Explosion in Hollywood cuts power to 4,000 customers
ASSOCIATED PRESS, December 14, 2001
LOS ANGELES - An underground electrical vault exploded in a Hollywood neighborhood Friday, sending a fireball 75 feet in the air and knocking out power to more than 4,000 customers. The first explosion occurred shortly before 8 a.m. and a fire was quickly extinguished. A second explosion occurred two hours later. Officials with the city's Department of Water and Power said electricity was not expected to be restored until midnight at the earliest. The cause of the explosion appeared to be equipment failure, possibly a transformer or a cable in the vault, said DWP spokeswoman Darlene Battle. The Red Cross opened a shelter at Hollywood High School.
Roofer killed as boom hits power line
By SUSAN THURSTON, St. Petersburg Times, published December 11, 2001
The accident sends a blue arc of energy to the ground. A 45-year-old man is killed and another worker is in critical condition at Tampa General Hospital. One man was killed and another critically injured Monday when a boom struck power lines on E 148th Avenue in Lutz. Trees and power lines left little room to maneuver the boom, officials at the scene said. LUTZ -- Roofer Jeff Poole had a lot to celebrate on Monday. He went to his first Buccaneers game on Sunday and was eager to tell his co-workers all about it. It was his last game. Poole was electrocuted Monday morning while working at a house in the Ranch Lake area of Lutz off Bearss and Livingston avenues. Sheriff's officials said Poole and an employee of ABC Supply Co. were jolted when a 30-foot boom attached to a flatbed truck hit overhead power lines. Employees of ABC Supply had delivered materials to the house at 2905 148th Ave. E and were raising the conveyor boom toward the roof when the operator accidentally swung the device into the power line, said sheriff's Lt. Rod Reder. Poole and Roosevelt Glover were standing next to the truck at the time of impact. The strike sent a blue arc of energy to the ground, blowing out the back tires of the truck and shocking both men. Poole, 45, was taken by ambulance to University Community Hospital, where he died. He worked for Tosca Roofing west of Plant City. Glover, 28, was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital. He remained in critical condition Monday night. His address was unknown and officials at the company's headquarters in Beloit, Wis., would not release information about his employment. The operator of the boom was not hurt. Authorities did not identify him. The incident was under investigation, but it appeared to be an accident, Reder said. The boom hit a Tampa Electric Co. distribution line that carries electricity to several homes in the neighborhood. The line has 7,620 volts, compared with 120 in the average house. Power was disrupted to about a half-dozen homes in the area for a few hours, TECO spokesman Ross Bannister said. Given the severity of the incident, Bannister said, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate. He said TECO offers safety programs for contractors who work near power lines but didn't know whether the companies had taken them. Officials at the scene said the small, wooded lot made it difficult to maneuver the boom, which hauls shingles onto the roof. The operator did not have much room to navigate around the trees and wires on the power poles. Poole worked as a foreman for Tosca Roofing for eight years and lived on Sammons Road in Plant City. His boss, Rick Tosca, said Poole had dropped off a trailer at the Lutz home and was planning to leave about 9 a.m., just before the accident. "We're grieving," Tosca said. "He was the best employee. He never missed a day of work." Tosca said Poole loved the Bucs and talked about going to the game all last week. A relative bought him the ticket as an early Christmas gift and it was his first time watching the Bucs from the stands. "He was so excited," Tosca said. "He wanted to tell everyone about it." Poole's longtime companion, Nancy, said Monday he was an avid sports fan and fisherman. She described him as a devoted employee and family man. He had a 14-year-old son, Geoffrey, and was helping to raise her four grandchildren, ages 8, 7, 5 and 3. He had never had a job-related accident. "He loved his work," she said.
Sign worker electrocuted
WELLINGTON - An Amarillo man died Thursday night when he was electrocuted while working on a sign.Thomas Franklin Bittle, 40, an employee of Hoarel Sign Co. in Amarillo, was working on the Dairy Queen sign in Wellington out of a bucket on a hydraulic lift when he apparently was electrocuted at about 7 p.m., according to Collingsworth County Sheriff's Department Deputy Steve Hartman.
The deputy said Bittle was taken by ambulance to Collingsworth General Hospital, where he died.
UPDATE, Feds fine Mead, Cianbro in fatal accident at paper mill
By Eileen M. Adams, Staff Writer
The local paper mill and one of its subcontractors have been cited by the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration on several safety violations connected with the death of a Canton man in September. OSHA ended its 10-week investigation last week into the death of James Pelletier, 38, who was electrocuted during an accident at Mead Paper Division, said Bill Freeman, OSHA area director. Pelletier, a pipefitter for Cianbro Corp. of Pittsfield, was electrocuted on Sept. 23 while he was repairing a fitting on a cooling system for electrical panels. Alan Burton, a spokesman for Cianbro, said Pelletier was repairing the cooling system when he dropped a crescent wrench. When he tried to retrieve it, he apparently walked into an energized 110-volt circuit. Mead was fined a total of $9,500 and directed by OSHA to assure that live exposed parts an employee might come in contact with be de-energized before an employee works near them. The citation also states that the mill had not developed, documented or utilized procedures for the control of potentially hazardous energy when employees were engaged in maintenance of the two cooling pumps. A statement from Mead spokeswoman Susan Parella said the fine will be paid by the end of the week. The company has no current plans to appeal the citations. The issues in both citations have also been addressed, according to Parella. Cianbro was cited for similar safety violations and directed to pay a fine of $7,000 and bring the violations into compliance. Specifically, the citations say that Pelletier was allowed to work inside the cooling pump room in which 120 volts were exposed. Further, Cianbro did not determine whether any part of the volt power circuit or volt control circuit were live before allowing Pelletier to begin work. Burton said the company doesn't expect to contest the fine. In addition, he said his company will hold an informal conference with OSHA representatives later in the month to discuss the incident and to let OSHA know that Cianbro is serious about safety. He said the company has taken additional steps to insure that such an accident doesn't happen again. We've reviewed our policies and procedures regarding energy sources and have revised as needed, including taking disciplinary action if procedures are violated, he said. Our intention is to follow OSHA. The fatal accident occurred during the mill's annual shutdown for paper machine maintenance. On July 21, 1998, Richard Whittemore, 27, of Mexico, an employee of subcontractor Bancroft Contracting Corp. of Paris, was electrocuted while using an electric arc welder in hot and damp conditions at the paper mill.
UPDATE, ELECTROCUTION DEATH LEADS TO $62,600 IN FINES AGAINST CONTRACTOR
BOSTON -- The electrocution death of a worker who came in contact with energized power lines at a Blackstone, Mass., sewer installation project has resulted in $62,600 in proposed fines against his employer. The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited ODF Contractors, of Dorchester, Mass., for alleged willful and serious violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act following the July 5 accident. The worker was standing in the elevated bucket of an excavator attempting to tie together overhead wiring when the arm of the excavator contacted an energized power line, killing him instantly. "The inspection found that the excavator was operating within 10 feet of energized lines, a clear violation of OSHA standards with which this employer was certainly familiar," said Ronald E. Morin, OSHA area director for Central Massachusetts. "As a result, we have issued a willful citation for failing to maintain a safe distance from the lines and proposed a fine of $56,000 for that hazard." A willful violation is defined by OSHA as one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations. Three serious citations, totaling $6,600 in fines, were also issued. Two are for allegedly exposing employees to serious shock hazards by allowing the worker to use the excavator bucket without first deenergizing the power lines and for lack of ground fault protection for employees using a submersible pump to remove water from a trench. The third citation is for placing the excavator at the edge of an excavation, into which it could fall in the event of a collapse of the trench's walls. OSHA issues a serious citation when there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from the cited condition, and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard. ODF Contractors has 15 working days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to either elect to comply with them, to request and participate in an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The inspection was conducted by OSHA's Springfield, Mass., area office. Citations and Proposed Penalties to ODF Contractors
One alleged willful violation, with a proposed fine of $56,000, for:
- employees exposed to electrocution hazards due to an excavator being operated within ten feet of energized power lines.
Three alleged serious violations, with $6,600 in fines proposed, for:
failure to supply employment or a place of employment free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm in that employees were exposed to serious shock hazard from standing in the bucket of an excavator that was in contact with energized power lines;
- no grounding protection or GFI protection for employees using a submersible pump to remove water from a trench;
- an excavator was located at the edge of an excavation where there was a risk of its falling into the excavation in the event of a wall collapse. Total proposed penalties: $62,600
Deckhand killed playing PlayStation
By James Watson, Posted: 03/12/2001 at 11:15 GMT
An Australian deckhand was electrocuted while thumbing the controller of a Sony PlayStation when a wave smashed into the boat's wheelhouse. The 19-year old man, Richard Wells, was sitting at a metal table playing with the console when a huge wave broke through the cabin window. The trawler was lying off the southern Queensland coast last week when the incident occurred. Three other crewmembers suffered shocks and burns while trying to rescue Wells from the cabin.
UPDATE, SMUD fatality bears witness to perils faced by utility linemen
By Carrie Peyton -- Bee Staff Writer, Published 5:30 a.m. PST Thursday, Nov. 29, 2001
The people who work atop utility poles know that death can come in a single slip of hand or foot. Tuesday night, that one false step killed James Lewis, a wiry young former Marine whose first child is due in just a few weeks, his father said Wednesday. "We're not blaming. We accept what happened," Robert Lewis said in a steady, gentle voice. But "we're standing here as the mom and dad thinking why don't they have some kind of safety line on him?" James Lewis, whose parents called him Jimmy, was the smallest, fastest player on his high school football team, a "jungle gym" to his niece and nephew, and a Sacramento Municipal Utility District apprentice lineman who never turned down overtime. The utility released only the barest details Wednesday of his death, the third for the utility's crews since 1993. Lewis, 28, of West Sacramento was working in a group of five near Wilton, rewiring poles to replace those blown down in the wind, when he fell from a 45-foot pole, said John DiStasio, assistant general manager for customer services. Robert Lewis said SMUD officials told him his son was doing a "crossover." The delicate maneuver requires a worker to unclip his safety belt from a pole, crawl over the crossarm near the pole's tip, and then dig the spikes on his feet back into the pole on the other side before coming down. One of the spikes missed, and Lewis tumbled sideways, landing headfirst on the pavement below, his father said. "I don't know how much was due to tiredness. Certainly it was cold. You don't function right if you're out there too long in the cold," the father said. James Lewis could well have been doing everything exactly right, said a former lineman for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. who is familiar with accident investigations. It is standard practice to unhook the safety belt on some crossarms, said the ex-lineman, who asked not to be named because he didn't know the accident's details firsthand. "As an apprentice lineman ... you tend to live by all the climbing and all the electrical rules. You just do. That's how you survive," he said. Extra harnesses or safety rigging generally aren't used because they can cause as many injuries as they can prevent, he said. Every year, one or two linemen in Northern California are killed on the job, said Eric Wolfe, communications director for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245, which represents linemen from Bakersfield to the Oregon border. "Despite our best efforts, despite intensive focus on safety by both the employer and the union ... this is inherently extremely dangerous work," he said. That danger would be on the mind of every line worker as they braced for the storm that was blowing in Wednesday, even as word of the death was spreading among utility crews throughout the region, said Sonny McCraw, a Roseville Electric superintendent. "We'll all be more cautious, more supportive of each other," he said. SMUD's last fatality was in a bucket-truck accident in 1996, said utility spokeswoman Dace Udris. In 1993, an apprentice tree trimmer was electrocuted in an accident that triggered three worker-safety citations from Cal-OSHA, but the citations later were withdrawn, said agency spokeswoman Susan Gard. The state safety agency has probed about two dozen workplace injuries at SMUD since 1990 and issued 13 citations, at least three of which were later dismissed, she said. The agency has begun investigating Lewis' death, and will be interviewing colleagues and reviewing his equipment, its maintenance and his training. Lewis joined SMUD about a year and a half ago and was authorized to work with non-electrified equipment, but not with energized lines, DiStasio said. The job was the fulfillment of a dream to serve others, and gave him and his wife, Mari, the security to plan for their first child, said his mother, Georgeanne Lewis. "It made him feel like he was just really doing something for the community," she said. "That's the way he was." She said her son had always been the helper -- the pet lover, the boy everyone brought their sick birds to, the teenager who skated to work with a cockatoo perched on his shoulder. He married his sweetheart from Encina High School seven years ago, and spent four years in the Marines, where utility training made him set aside thoughts of becoming a police officer or firefighter. "It was hand-in-hand with the kind of person he was," said his father. "He just had a big heart." As an apprentice, his father recalled, Lewis stepped up for every overtime shift offered, in a line of work that often can call for 16-hour shifts. His parents thought he had worked several shifts since Thanksgiving, but SMUD officials said they had no information about his recent schedule except that he had been off Monday and started work at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. He died about 8 p.m., more than 13 hours later. The thought of such long hours haunted Wilton residents who had been without power from Saturday until 10 a.m. Wednesday following a wet and windy storm. "Not all heroes wear the uniform of a policeman or a firefighter," said David Hillsman, who had been getting ready to take soup and hot cocoa to the crews when Lewis fell. Hillsman said he didn't sleep the rest of the night. "Would you rather have your microwave working six hours earlier or send a tired crew home safe to their families?" he said. Lewis also served in the California National Guard, helping operate heavy equipment on his once-a-month stints at a Redding training ground. "We're ... the ones who make the bridges and the roads and the airfields," said his friend, Staff Sgt. Perry Foster. He remembered Lewis as a steady co-worker, a quietly humorous man who was studying martial arts to learn more about himself, and an eager father-to-be who knew that his wife was expecting a son. "He was just elated," said Robert Lewis. "We were imagining," he said, pausing and then beginning again. "Can you imagine what kind of dad he's going to be? "Now we'll never know that."
4,500 homes lose power after TVA wire snaps, falls
COLUMBIA - A Tennessee Valley Authority high-voltage wire snapped and fell across busy Lion Parkway as area schools let out yesterday afternoon, causing a serious traffic tie-up and knocking out power to 4,500 homes. ''A conductor failed and burned the 161,000-volt line, which then dropped to the ground,'' TVA spokeswoman B.J. Gatten said. When the line fell at 2:55 p.m., it knocked out power to the south Columbia substation, according to Jim Clark, general manager of Columbia Power and Water System. ''About 4,500 customers, along with pretty much most of the business district along James Campbell Boulevard, were without power for about 45 minutes,'' Clark said. ''Maury Regional Hospital has protective switching to another substation and that worked. But here at Columbia Power, we were about to have our board meeting when our lights went out.'' No one was injured when the line fell, according to Fire Department officials. - Sue McClure
SMUD Worker Killed In Fall From Power Pole
A Sacramento Municipal Utility District employee was killed Tuesday night when he fell from a power pole in Wilton. The worker was one of several in the area trying to restore power to the few hundred remaining SMUD customers in Sacramento County still without power. SMUD officials, who did not identify the worker, said he died at about 9 p.m. The man was working on a pole on Hobday Road in Wilton, a rural town in the southeast area of the county, SMUD officials said. The cause of the fall was not immediately known. SMUD officials said about 260 customers were still without power, but that crews were ordered to stop working following the accident until Wednesday morning. SMUD crews have been working around the clock since Saturday's storm knocked out power to 51,000 customers.
Officials investigate petroleum plant fire
Published November 27, 2001
FOREST VIEW -- Firefighters from at least 10 local departments were needed early Monday morning to extinguish an extra-alarm fire at a southwest suburban petroleum plant. No one was hurt, and only minor damage was sustained in the fire, which was discovered by a plant worker just after 12:30 a.m. at the Apex Oil Co., 4801 S. Harlem Ave., in Forest View near the Stevenson Expressway. Glenn David, director of public safety for the village, said the fire started in a 12-inch pipe used to transfer asphalt and other materials to barges on the adjacent Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Forest View officials were still investigating the cause Monday but said a frayed electrical line may have been at fault. Fortunately, David said, no asphalt was flowing through the pipeline when the flames ignited, and the fire was controlled within minutes and completely put out by about 2:30 a.m. Firefighters originally feared that the flames might spread to nearby oil storage tanks, just a few hundred feet away.
BPC man electrocuted
19 November, 2001
A 26-year-old Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) employee was confirmed dead on arrival at Princess Marina Hospital after being electrocuted last week. Urban Police station commander Andrew Melore told BOPA that the incident happened while the victim and his colleagues were trying to replace a fuse in a transformer at Extension 14 in Gaborone. Police investigations are continuing In another incident, Melore said Extension 2 Clinic nurses reported that a 45-year-old woman of Ramotswa was confirmed dead on arrival at the clinic. They said the woman had earlier complained of a headache and stomach pains, and went to Extension 14 branch of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) for assistance. She was later taken to the clinic where she was confirmed dead. Station Commander Melore has appealed to the public to assist police located 15-year-old Daphne Komang of Tutume. Komang worked as a maid at New Canada in Gaborone. Meanwhile, Urban police are holding a 26-year-old man of Ntlhantlhe who escaped from Molepolole Prison. The escapee was caught last week at Bontleng after he broke into a house and stealing. At the time of his arrest, he had four cellular phone prepaid cards worth P100 each.
Accident disrupts utilities service to 2,000
By B. Ray Owen ~ Southeast Missourian
Once the crane started freewheeling, Larry Boxdorfer knew it was going over. Boxdorfer was backing the crane with a 100-foot boom when it started pitching backward. "It got overbalanced on the incline," said Boxdorfer. "I knew then it was going to flip. I'm just thankful that no traffic was passing at the time and it didn't hit anybody." The boom fell across Chestnut Street -- a block-long section of Highway 177 -- striking a utility pole and downing electrical, telephone and cable television wires. More than 2,000 electric customers were without power for a short while, said AmerenUE spokesman Doug Groesbeck. The crane boom hit a transmission line and we had to wire around it," said Groesbeck. "Only a few customers were without power for more than half an hour, and they were restored within a couple of hours." Boxdorfer escaped injury. He had to wait inside the crane until power to the area was turned off before the crane could be stabilized. He waited for more than hour. Once the crane was stabilized, Cape Girardeau firefighter Mike Allen hoisted a ladder and helped open the door to the crane. Boxdorfer left the crane under his own power. Boxdorfer is a crane operator for Robinson Construction Co. of Perryville, Mo., which is working on a sewer project for the city of Cape Girardeau. The project calls for four new lift stations and a force main along the Mississippi River. Lift stations pump sewer water uphill so it can flow into the main sewer system. The new stations will replace existing ones that needed rehabilitating after the floods of 1993 and 1995. Force mains are pipes connected to the lift stations that carry the water pumped from the lift stations to a point where it can flow into the sewer system. "We should have a new crane in Tuesday or Wednesday," said Mike Schremp, superintendent on the job at Olive and Chestnut. "We won't know the condition of the crane involved in the accident for a while." "That crane probably won't be put back into use," said Chris Cissell, overall project manager for Robinson. Work on the project is expected to be completed by the end of the year, said Cissell. The crane was uprighted about 11:35 a.m., said Steve Niswonger of the Cape Gir-ardeau Fire Department. The fire and police departments were on the scene for more than three hours until the crane was uprighted. AmerenUE workers had to replace three utility poles.
Officer saved worker's life
Risked own life to pull man from 440-volt power line
Katherine Tam, Appeal-Democrat
A Yuba City police officer was awarded the department's highest honor Tuesday night for saving a man from being electrocuted last month. Officer James Marler, who has been with the department for about a year, received the Medal of Valor before his colleagues, family members and the City Council. He is the second person in the department to ever receive the medal, which was last awarded about 40 years ago. "I'm overwhelmed quite honestly," Marler said. "Our city is filled with exceptional people that do extraordinary things on a daily basis. I thank you and accept this on all their behalf and share this with them." On Oct. 31, an electrician wiring the new Home Depot store for its Nov. 8 opening came in contact with a 440-volt live current line while on an extended scissor-lift scaffold. Marler was off duty at the time, but was working part time at the store in a nearby aisle when he heard a commotion. "I went to investigate and saw the gentleman hanging over the scaffold, shaking violently," he said. He climbed the 35-foot tall scaffold, insulated himself using a piece of wood and separated the electrician from the current line. He then brought the electrician to the floor and tended to him. Meanwhile, employees were calling for an ambulance. The electrician, whose name was not available and lives out of state, was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of shock and burns. He is reportedly doing well. "My main concern was to just get him free," said Marler, who spent 10 years with the Yuba County Sheriff's Department before transferring to Yuba City Police. "I've had training in emergency medicine and I didn't think about it, I just did it." The Medal of Valor is given to employees who voluntarily perform acts that require "unusual courage" and "danger to their personal safety for the purpose of saving or protecting human life." Nominations for the medal and other department awards are considered by a four-member board and approved by the chief of police. "Jim (Marler) is a very humble individual. If his friends at Home Depot hadn't contacted us, we wouldn't have known of it," said Yuba City Police Chief Richard Doscher, who explained Home Depot Manager Steve Vita informed the department of Marler's actions. "He does his job and he's very humble about it." Tuesday's announcement of the medal was a surprise to Marler, who had only been told to attend the council meeting for a presentation. Family members said it did not surprise them to hear of Marler's actions. "He's always trying to help other people," said his cousin, Rob Massey of Susanville. "I don't think he could live with himself otherwise." The medal was last awarded in 1963 to Officer Glen Williams, who was shot in the heart while searching for a person who had threatened an officer with a firearm.
Electrical pole catches on fire
An electrical pole catching on fire has been blamed for the electrical outage Monday afternoon. Wellington City Electric Distribution Superintendent Dewey Rhodd said a bad insulator was the cause for the pole igniting in flames outside Wellington. The outage was the responsibility of KGE, a rural electric distributor, he said. Those inside the city limits were without power for 30 minutes during the noon hour. Electricity was restored when the city fired up the gas turbine. Rhodd said without the turbine, the city would have been without power for an hour and 45 minutes.
Electrician working at South Plains Mall dies after touching exposed line
By MICHAEL GAFFNEY, LubbockOnline
Electrician Alex Covarruvias, 41, died Thursday at University Medical Center after receiving a severe shock while working at South Plains Mall. The industrial accident occurred at about 12:30 a.m. when the victim touched an exposed electrical line, said Sgt. Greg Parrott of the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office. The victim was from Cockrell Hill, a suburb about seven miles southwest of Dallas, Parrott said. "One of our deputies was working in an off-duty capacity at the South Plains Mall when it was reported to him shortly after midnight that a 41-year-old Hispanic male had been electrocuted while performing work in the mall," Parrott said. Parrott said Covarruvias was installing lighting ballasts, a major component of fluorescent light fixtures. "EMS and Fire Department personnel arrived at the scene almost immediately after the call and transported him to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced (dead)," he said. Robert Byers, chief medical investigator for the Lubbock County Medical Examiner's office, said initial autopsy results indicated that Covarruvias died of accidental electrocution. An official report on Covarruvias' death will not be complete for a few weeks, Parrott said. The victim was employed by Onsite Commercial Staffing, Parrott said. The Dallas-based company was one of four companies hired to provide energy management services at the mall. Covarruvias had six years experience as an electrician, but Parrott said he did not know if Covarruvias was professionally licensed. "We are investigating this incident as an industrial accident," Parrott said, "... and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has been notified." (Staff writer John Reynolds contributed to this article)
Death of cable worker ruled an electrocution
Randy Stata, of Catskill, N.Y., was working in Colt State Park on Tuesday when he was electrocuted, the state Medical Examiner's Office says.
BY SCOTT MAYEROWITZ , Journal Staff Writer
BRISTOL _ The state Medical Examiner's office has ruled the Tuesday death of a 34-year old man installing cable in Colt State Park an electrocution, the police said. Randy Stata, of Catskill, N.Y., was working shortly before 12:30 p.m. in a metal bucket suspended 25 feet above ground with a colleague below feeding him cable, Lt. Michael Serbst said. Stata touched a live wire and the metal bucket was possibly against a guide wire that ended up grounding the current, Serbst said. The jolt caused Stata to slump over the side of the bucket, Serbst said.. The worker had no vital signs when he was removed from the bucket, Serbst said. Although Bristol rescue workers performed CPR en route to Rhode Island Hospital, Serbst said, the man was pronounced dead there. Stata and two others on his crew were working for Barber Communications, of Athens, N.Y. They were on Asylum Road near the East Bay Bike Path, Serbst said. Full Channel TV Inc., which serves Barrington, Warren and Bristol, had subcontracted work to a company to install cables. That company subcontracted some its work to Barber Communications. An investigation by the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration is under way.
New York man electrocuted at Colt Park, killed Tuesday afternoon
A New York man was killed Tuesday afternoon in an accident while installing coaxial cables on Asylum Road in Colt State Park for a subcontractor of Full Channel TV.
By: Brian Comfort, November 09, 2001
Randy Stata, 34, from Catskill, N.Y., worked for Barbar Communication out of Athens, N.Y. His company was contracted by Proline Corp., which was hired by Full Channel to install new cable in the area, according to police. His crew was working just west of the East Bay Bike Path on the north side of Asylum Road, stringing the new cable for service to the Quinta-Gamelin Army Reserve center in the park, according to Mike Davis, manager at Full Cable. Mr. Stata was in a metal bucket approximately 25 feet above the ground working near high tension, high voltage wires when he suddenly slumped over in the carrier, said Bristol Police Lt. Michael Serbst. Mr. Davis said Mr. Stata was working amid the foliage of nearby trees and the leaves could have obscured his view or gotten in his way. "We believe he possibly touched the wrong wire thinking it was a guide wire, but it's still under investigation at this time," Lt. Serbst said. The police, the medical examiner's office, Narragansett Electric and OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) are all investigating the case. Lt. Serbst said the Mr. Stata's co-workers indicated he had been working for the company for 10 years. Bristol Emergency Medical Services workers responded and attempted to revive him on the scene and he was taken by ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital, according to Lt. Serbst. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Though the cause of death is still under investigation, burn marks on the wire he was working on and underneath the wheels of the truck he was suspended from indicate he was electrocuted, Lt. Serbst said.
MAN ELECTROCUTED
A MAN who was electrocuted as he worked on an electrical junction box at a garage was named yesterday as William Young, 42, from Muirkirk, Ayrshire.
Ludlow man electrocuted
St. Joseph News-Press
TRENTON, Mo. - A Ludlow, Mo., man was electrocuted while tree-trimming Thursday. Elve Dwane Mills, 46, an employee of Gates Tree Trimming Service, was pronounced dead at Wright Memorial Hospital, according to Trenton Police Department officials. Gates Tree Trimming Service was trimming trees away from power lines under a contract with Trenton Municipal Utilities. The accident occurred as the hydraulic bucket came into contact with a 7,620-volt line. A worker noticed that a tire on the truck was burning, attempted to move the truck and was shocked. He was not able to let go of the door handle. Mr. Mills attempted to assist and was electrocuted.
Hespeler man electrocuted while working near power panel
CAMBRIDGE - A 30-year-old Hespeler man died when 600 volts of electricity coursed through his body Thursday. He was working inside Custom Aluminum Foundry's new facility, currently under construction in the city's eastern industrial park. Around 12:30 p.m., the man, who worked for M&G Millwrights Ltd. of Elmira, was working with a crew installing the last of the equipment in the new foundry slated to open before the end of the month. Officials weren't certain Thursday if he was connecting or disconnecting an extension cord cuppling near an electrical panel when he was electrocuted. The Ministry of Labour is investigating ``The Hydro had been shut off, so I'm not certain what happened,'' said Cliff Gingrich, the owner of M&G Millwrights. ``Something must have happened to make it live. It should not have been live.'' Gingrich was at a loss for words yesterday during a telephone interview from his Elmira office. A year ago, two of his employees were killed when their van collided with a car on a foggy stretch of Highway 7/8 near New Hamburg. ``Two young men, 22 and 23 years old, died coming back from a job in Tavistock and now this, '' Gingrich said. ``I guess I don't know what to say at this point, except to say I'm just so sorry it happened.'' The man had been employed by M&G for about three-and-a-half years and was named job foreman about three months ago. Gingrich said the company would be closed Friday and grief counsellors were being made available to assist the 60 employees. Thursday, about a half-dozen of the man's co-workers and Custom Aluminum employees milled around the foundry floor, speaking quietly among themselves. Yellow caution tape surrounded the large electrical panel where the man was working when he was electrocuted. Witnesses knew the man was in trouble when he fell face down onto the concrete floor. He suffered burn marks on his chest and right hand. He never regained consciousness. Waterloo Regional Police were the first to arrive, after the man's co-workers called 911. ``Someone said he had a pulse prior to emergency crews arriving, but had lost it when we arrived,'' said Sergeant Frank Monteiro. Firefighters performed CPR until paramedics arrived. He was transported by ambulance to Cambridge Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. A co-worker called the man's wife, who met the ambulance at the hospital. The death was the eighth workplace-related fatality in Cambridge and North Dumfries Township in the past two years.
Power station explosion blacks out Brisbane homes
Thousands of homes and businesses in Brisbane's western and southern suburbs have lost power due to a substation fire at Tennyson. The Fire and Rescue Authority says the blaze involves 30,000 litres of transmission oil and broke out after an explosion in a transformer at the Memorial Avenue substation. Firefighter at the scene Tom Dawson, says the fire has been contained and the major problem now is the toxic black smoke. "We just commenced a large foam attack to extinguish this fire and once we can make the area safe, Energex crews can start bringing back on power to the local area," he said. "We're actually just now commencing to evacuate some adjacent premises... as our extinction of the fire gets more successful we're producing a bit more smoke, lower level, so we're just monitoring the plume and moving people as we need to."
2 TXU workers burned in blast
By PEYTON D. WOODSON, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH - Two TXU Electric & Gas workers were critically burned Monday evening when a street transformer exploded in west Fort Worth. The two men, 41 and 36, had third-degree burns and were taken by helicopter ambulance to Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital, police said. Their names were not released. They were working on an underground transformer at the intersection of Camp Bowie Boulevard and Bernie Anderson Avenue when the explosion occurred about 6:30 p.m., Fort Worth police officer D.H. Towson said. A fireball engulfed both men. The 41-year-old man was burned on his face, arms, chest and back, Towson said. The 36-year-old worker was burned on his face, arms and chest. The explosion disturbed electrical power in the area for several hours. David Beshear, a TXU spokesman, said the cause of the explosion is under investigation. "We're very concerned about the situation right now," Beshear said. "We don't have a cause. It's very rare. Safety is something we stress. Anytime something like this happens, we're extremely concerned."
Explosion at Sears injures two in Middleburg Heights
Reported by Tom Beres , October 29, 2001
MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio -- An explosion under a local Sears store has critically injured two people. An electrical crew was installing two high-voltage lines in the basement when an explosion rocked the Sears building at Southland Shopping center in Middleburg Heights Monday at 9 a.m. The store was not open, but the basement holds a phone credit center where 250 workers were on the job. The two injured workers were badly burned. Middleburg Heights Fire Chief Bernie Benedict said the workers suffered third degree burns and were conscious when they were transported to MetroHealth Medical for treatment. Sixteen call center workers were taken to Parma Community Southwest General and Fairview Hospital, mainly for smoke inhallation problems. Middleburg Heights Parma Heights, Strongsville and Berea firefighters responded to the accident. The Sears store will remain closed Monday as Cleveland Electric Illuminating crews and firefighters examine damage and attempt to determine the cause of the explosion.
Bon Aqua electrician recovering from burns
A Hickman County electrician was recovering last night from burns he received Wednesday night while working on electrical lines for Nashville Electric Service. Scott Morgan, 39, of Bon Aqua, was in Vanderbilt University Medical Center's burn unit, where he was listed last night in critical but stable condition, a hospital spokes-man said. Morgan is employed by an out-of-state business, Davis H. Elliott Co., which was doing contract work for NES, said Teresa Corlew, NES spokeswoman. Corlew said that Morgan was burned about 8 p.m., but that the incident was not related to Wednesday night's storms. She said she did not know details of how the injury occurred. - Christian Bottorff
Utility Worker Electrocuted In Luverne
South Dakota Man, 20, Killed On The Job Saturday
Posted: 2:29 p.m. CDT October 23, 2001
LUVERNE, Minn. - A South Dakota man is dead after an accident while working on utility poles in Luverne in southwestern Minnesota. Authorities got a call Saturday afternoon that 20-year-old Bradley Herr had been electrocuted while working in an alley next to the National Guard Armory. Herr was dead at the scene. Herr's father was notified in Waubay, South Dakota, but authorities aren't sure if that's where Bradley Herr lived. Authorities say Herr was working on utility poles for a cable TV subcontractor when he fell off a ladder. The official cause of death is listed as massive head injuries secondary to electrocution.
Brenham man, 31, dies after being electrocuted
By HOLLY HUFFMAN, Eagle Staff Writer
Funeral Services were held Monday for a Brenham man who was electrocuted by a power tool last week at a construction site in Washington County. Jason Benedict Hauerland, 31, was standing on a metal ladder and using an impact wrench to tighten bolts on a metal building frame when the wrench shorted and electrocuted him, said Carlene Starr Davis of the Washington County Sheriff's Department. A Bluebonnet Electric Company employee, Hauerland had been working with a construction crew on Kelm Road when the accident occurred just before 4:30 p.m. on Friday, she said. Paramedics were called and crew members began cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but their efforts failed and Hauerland was later pronounced dead at Trinity Medical Center in Brenham, Davis said. Services for Hauerland were held at 3 p.m. Monday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Brenham. He was buried in Eben Ezer Lutheran Church Cemetery. The Brenham native was a graduate of Burton High School, where he was on the 1987 state baseball team. He attended Blinn College and was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church. He is survived by his wife, Peggy Weidner Hauerland, and two sons, Preston Hauerland and Payton Hauerland.
Man electrocuted in crane accident From AAP, October 10, 2001
A MAN is in hospital in a serious condition after receiving an electric shock from high tension powerlines while operating a crane in Melbourne's west. The 50-year-old man was in the crane at the Victoria University of Technology, on the corner of Geelong and Ballarat roads in Footscray, when the crane hit the overhead powerlines about 9.20am (AEST). A Metropolitan Ambulance Service spokesman said the man was hit by 100,000 volts of electricity and suffered entry and exit wounds. He said the man was taken by MICA (mobile intensive care) ambulance to Western Hospital in a serious condition. The spokesman said the man was conscious and talking to paramedics.
Just after a temporary employee at the Florida Power nuclear plant is hurt by a falling tool Tuesday, another is burned. They are treated and released from the hospital.
CRYSTAL RIVER -- A second temporary employee making repairs to the Florida Power nuclear plant was hurt Tuesday night, just hours after a worker was sent to the hospital when a cutting tool dropped and injured his ankle. The men were treated at Seven Rivers Community Hospital for minor injuries and released. They were expected to return to work Wednesday, said Mac Harris, a Florida Power spokesman. Harris would not release the names of the injured, but both were among the 900 workers from two Virginia-based companies contracted to handle a maintenance operation that started Sept. 29. The second accident occurred about 11 p.m. The worker, who is from the Atlantic Group of Norfolk, Va., was cleaning equipment in the switchgear room, where electricity is dispersed to different areas of the plant, Harris said. The man brushed against some electrical equipment that hadn't been turned off and received minor burns to his arm, Harris said. There is no radioactive material in the building where the man was injured. "The individual was not seriously hurt," he said. It was the second trip to the emergency room for a plant worker that night. At 6 p.m., an employee from Framatome ANP of Lynchburg, Va., working in the reactor containment building was injured when a cutting instrument suspended from a cable dropped from its clasp and fell on his leg. Because the man was working in a building where radioactive particles are present, he was accompanied to the hospital by radiation protection technicians and taken to a special decontamination room where he was scanned with Geiger counters. A low level of radiation was found on the man's clothing, but none was detected on his skin. The broken clasp has been replaced. Florida Power employees are still trying to determine why it failed, Harris said. The worker was using the cutting tool to slice through a stainless steel pipe that feeds into the reactor. The plant was placed on "stand-down" following the two incidents, which means all work ceased until the cause of the accident could be determined, Harris said. Work resumed shortly after both injuries. The temporary employees have been brought in to replace one-third of the plant's 177 fuel bundles, metal rods filled with uranium pellets, and shift the others to maximize energy production. The operation is expected to take one month. While the reactor is shut down, employees are working on emergency diesel generators and valves that control steam to the main turbines. Harris said the increased number of employees makes the plant more vulnerable to industrial accidents such as Tuesday's. "There's a lot more work going on, so there's a lot more opportunities for events to occur than the rest of the year," he said.
Staff writer Alex Leary contributed to this report.
Co Kerry man electrocuted
online.ie 07 Oct 2001
Health and Safety officials are carrying out an investigation into the death of a builder near Castleisland in Co Kerry. The local man, who was in his fifties, was electrocuted while he was loading a lorry with a small mobile crane at the time when it came in contact with an overhead cable. The man's body was taken to Tralee General Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Molepolole man electrocuted
04 October, 2001
A 51-year-old man of Goora Tshosa ward in Molepolole died on Friday morning after he was electrocuted when he and four others were moving scaffolding to paint a building. Superintendent Sehubakgosi Tsekele of Old Naledi police told BOPA that two of the men were admitted in the intensive care unit at Princess Marina, one was in the general ward while the fifth man was treated and discharged. The men, who work for Murray and Roberts Construction Company, were painting a new building next to Cresta Lodge and they tried to move the scaffolding when it came in contact with a power line. Police are still witholding the names of the dead man until his next-of-kin had been informed.
2 men electrocuted in flagpole raising
Eagle Staff Report
Two men were fatally shocked in Fairfield, Texas, on Monday when a flagpole they were raising came into contact with high voltage electrical wire. Steve Barker, 42, and Mark Webster, 45, were taken to East Texas Medical Center in Fairfield, where they were pronounced dead. The men, longtime employees of Marathon Oil Company, were raising the flagpole in front of the company offices. The incident was ruled an accident and is not being investigated further, said Capt. Hugh Whitaker of the Freestone County sheriff's office.
Barnstead man electrocuted in accident
Associated Press
KINGSTON - Police have identified the man electrocuted when a cable bucket hit power lines.
Police Chief Donald Briggs said Friday it appeared Michael Brooks, 27, of Barnstead had his hand on the cable truck's door when 19,920 volts passed through him into the ground. Brooks was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the 2:25 p.m. accident Thursday. Briggs said Thomas Hardy, 58, of Epsom was raising the boom attached to the bucket when it hit the power lines. Hardy was standing on a platform on the truck. The truck's tires spared him. Briggs said both men worked for Twin Star Cable of Epsom and were getting ready to use the bucket when the accident happened.
UPDATE, Safety shortcomings blamed for fatal mill accident
Monday, September 24, 2001, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONGVIEW -- An internal investigation found that an improperly wired circuit and inadequate safety precautions were key factors in the death of a Weyerhaeuser Co. electrician, The Daily News reported. In an article published Sunday, the newspaper said a company document also cited shortcomings in training, work standards, inspections and risk assessment in the electrocution of Brian Mock, 44, of Longview. Mock, summoned after a temporary generator delivered a minor shock to a contractor cleaning an oil tank, was hit with a 575-volt electric shock July 26 when he went to pull apart two power supply connectors. According to the company report, Mock was not wearing protective equipment and lacked experience to properly check the problem. The report also said there was no audible alarm, wiring work had not been adequately inspected and wire colors and numbers were mismatched. Mock had worked for Weyerhaeuser for 20 years, the last year and a half as an electrician. Weyerhaeuser officials would not comment on the report, citing an investigation by the state Department of Labor and Industries. A spokesman for the state agency said another two months might be needed to complete the probe. According to the internal report, a Weyerhaeuser investigator has recommended several changes, including replacement of an outmoded ground fault alarm system and checklists for inspecting abandoned wiring, troubleshooting and installing temporary wiring.
2 NW firefighters hurt fighting blaze at feed store
LA MONICA EVERETT-HAYNES, Citizen Staff Writer, Sept. 24, 2001
Two Northwest Fire District Firefighters were taken to a hospital after receiving electrical shocks while trying to put out a fire that caused $150,000 in damage last night. David Petrinovich, fire district spokesman, said the blaze was "suspicious," and investigators are trying to determine the cause. The firefighters do not know what caused the shocks. They were taken to Northwest Medical Center, examined and released. Petrinovich did not have the names or ages of the two firefighters. The fire began at 5:25 p.m. yesterday near Interstate 10 and West Ruthrauff Road at Top Hand Feed & Supply, 4844 N. Davis Ave., and in a storage shed behind the business. "The storage shed housed a bunch of new horse saddles and there was another trailer that housed all of the equipment for the horse saddles," Petrinovich said. The combined content and structural damage was estimated at $150,000. About 26 firefighters worked on the blaze, which was controlled at 5:50 p.m., he said. Winds last night caused problems with the fire because they helped spread it to brush in the area, Petrinovich said.
Dodge man electrocuted while trimming trees
A Dodge County man was electrocuted Sunday, September 16 in Bleckley County when the arm of a boom truck he was on trimming tree limbs became tangled in a power line. Bobby D. Wynne died shortly after noon at a site on Barlow Road, according to Bleckley County Sheriff Harold Lancaster. Wynne's son, who was operating the truck, was not injured. "He was leaning against the fender of the truck watching his son cut limbs down," Lancaster stated.
Construction Worker Electrocuted
An accident on the job electrocuted a worker in the northland Monday afternoon, KMBC 9 News reported. The accident occurred about 2:30 p.m. at 5016 N.W. Waukomis. The accident occurred at the Kelly-Hill Co., a railroad contractor operation. Ascencion Bermudez, 53, had worked there for the last 25 years. Bermudez was almost done with his shift when he began helping his co-workers move some heavy equipment. Minutes into the operation, he was knocked to the ground and killed by 12,000 volts of electricity. Police investigated the scene for hours after the accident. They said that a boom operator in a crane was moving a piece of railroad equipment off a flatbed. Bermudez was on the ground trying to stabilize it when the boom's wires hit the electrical lines above, running several thousand volts through Bermudez's body. "They are very emotionally upset about this individual," said detective Leroy Williams of the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department. Kelly-Hill officials released a public statement that said, "Ascencion was (an) extremely valuable employee. We regret the loss of a friend, an employee, a husband, a father and a grandfather." One year ago, Bermudez had become a naturalized U.S. citizen, KMBC 9 News' Emily Aylward reported. An autopsy is scheduled Tuesday to determine where the electricity hit Bermudez first. Bermudez left behind a wife, two children and three grandchildren.
Fireman in stable condition after receiving electrical shock at blaze
A Nashville firefighter received an electrical shock while fighting a fire yesterday afternoon.
Fire officials were not releasing the name of the firefighter, but Vanderbilt University Medical Center reported that he was in stable condition and probably would be released. The 3:30 p.m. fire at 2725 Whites Creek Pike did heavy damage to the brick home, which the owner said was empty and used for storage, Nashville Fire Department Capt. Robert Taylor said. Taylor said an arson investigator had been called because the owner reported the power should have been shut off at the breaker box and was only turned on when he was there. Two other firefighters were treated for exhaustion, he said.
Government investigates worker's death
NORTHMOOR, Mo. (AP) -- Federal officials and police are investigating the death of a man who was electrocuted while unloading equipment near power lines. Ascencion Bermudez, 53, died Monday while unloading equipment near power lines at Kelly-Hill Co. in Northmoor. Manuel Olmedo, director of the Kansas City office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said his agency is investigating and will meet with a Northmoor police detective this week. The investigation could take about two months, Olmedo said. Police said Bermudez, of Kansas City, Kan., died while helping unload a railroad tie end server from a flatbed truck. Bermudez was touching the server as it was being carried by a crane. He was electrocuted when the crane came in contact with an overhead power line, sending more than 12,000 volts of electricity through his body. The crane operator was uninjured. Bermudez had worked for Kelly-Hill for about 25 years. He recently started his own trucking company, family members said. He is survived by his wife, Gloria, four children and three grandchildren.
Greenwood mill worker's death under investigation
The Associated Press
GREENWOOD - Officials at a cottonseed oil mill are awaiting the results of an autopsy that could show what caused the death of a worker. David Pugh, 50, a 16-year employee, collapsed at PYCO oil mill Tuesday and died at Greenwood Leflore Hospital. Investigators are looking into the possible causes, including electrocution and a heart attack. Officials said Pugh collapsed while moving an empty hopper at the mill. "We really don't know much right now," Billy Breedlove, manager of PYCO, said Wednesday. "We haven't determined if it was an accident or if he died of a heart attack. We're waiting on some facts." Leflore County Coroner Debra Sanders said investigators are looking into the possibility that Pugh was electrocuted. Sanders said Pugh and an unidentified co-worker were moving the seed hopper with a forklift before Pugh's collapse. The co-worker reported receiving an electrical shock to Pugh, said Sanders. "When the other employee went to cut the electricity off, that's when he found (Pugh) unresponsive," said Sanders. Breedlove said company officials are looking into the possibility of an electrical accident. "We're going to make sure there are not any electrical issues. That site is pretty much off limits now until we get our investigation completed," Breedlove said.
Fall, shock killed man, autopsy says
A Ridgeway man who fell some 65 feet from a cherry picker in Buena Vista while working on football field lights died of "electrocution and blunt force injuries," an autopsy has concluded. Dr. Gregory P. Wanger of the state medical examiner's office said Tuesday he believes John A. Bradshaw, 42, still was alive when he fell from the work basket over the Parry McCluer High School football field. Wanger said he could not say whether Bradshaw was coherent after coming in contact with a live electric line before the fall Friday night. Bradshaw was pronounced dead early Saturday morning at Stonewall Jackson Hospital in Lexington, Phil Ragland, a Buena Vista Police Department investigator, said Tuesday. Bradshaw had been hoisted up to the lights "when he reached for a safety cable to connect his safety belt," recounted Bradshaw's brother, Charles Bradshaw, on Saturday morning. "There was not supposed to be power on it," Charles Bradshaw, said, but the line "was energized." John Bradshaw was co-owner of Triangle Electric Corp. Charles Bradshaw is the firm's treasurer. Ragland said Bradshaw appeared to be unconscious when he fell. When Ragland got the emergency call, he said, he was told that a man was hung up in a cherry picker. Arriving at the scene, Ragland found Bradshaw slumped in the work basket with one leg in and the other out of the basket, he said. One of Bradshaw's two co-workers, who were standing on the ground, summoned police, Ragland said. Before electrical power to the light pole was cut, a member of the emergency medical crew was shocked when he came in contact with the pole, said Ragland. The medical worker, who was not seriously injured, was treated at the scene and taken to the hospital. In the meantime, the fire department had extended a truck ladder with rescue personnel toward Bradshaw, said Ragland. Ragland said he had ordered a backup fire truck with a longer ladder because it appeared the ladder of the truck on hand was not long enough to reach Bradshaw. Bradshaw had begun to regain consciousness and make disoriented movements to right himself, said Ragland, as rescue workers atop a ladder on the first truck cautioned him not to move. Either ignoring them or unaware of their pleas, Ragland said, Bradshaw fell 60-65 feet to the ground. Though Ragland said he was not certain whether the ladder on the second truck would have been long enough to reach Bradshaw, he said the rescue workers on the first truck would have been able to secure him until a longer ladder arrived. A graveside funeral for Bradshaw will begin at 11 this morning at Horsepasture Christian Church Cemetery.
Coram Man Electrocuted On East End By Samuel Bruchey, STAFF WRITER, August 31, 2001 A Coram man who was doing contracting work outside an East Hampton residence was electrocuted yesterday when he cut into an electrical wire, East Hampton police said.Nicholas LeDonne, 37, used metal wire cutters to splice the wire and received a shock between 120 and 240 volts, police and LIPA officials said."It was powerful enough to kill him," said Lt. Bill McGintee.LeDonne was taken by ambulance to Southampton Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 1 p.m., McGintee said.The accident occurred about 12:40 p.m., while LeDonne was standing on an aluminum ladder propped against an electrical pole, said LIPA spokesman Michael Lowndes.LeDonne's former wife, Kelly Atkins, was holding the ladder but was unharmed, McGintee said. She could not be reached for comment.Lowndes said LeDonne was attempting to connect the wire to a separate wire running underground into the home. The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation, he said.McGintee would not identify whom LeDonne was working for, but said he and Atkins had been doing renovations at that location for several days. Lowndes said he was doing routine electrical work. A LIPA spokesman said the company had not been notified of any electrical work being done at that address."It was just an unfortunate accident," McGintee said.
PG&E truck rolls, driver killed
By ELEANOR CAMERON - Staff Writer
MAGALIA - A Pacific Gas and Electric worker was killed in a traffic accident early Wednesday morning.Gerald Wayne Smith, 56, Paradise, was driving a PG&E truck on Dogtown Road just east of Skyway. His vehicle ran off the edge of the road, hit a tree and rolled over once.According to the California Highway Patrol, Smith was wearing his seatbelt. Fatal injuries were caused when the cab of the vehicle caved in, the CHP said.He was pronounced dead at the scene.Smith worked for PG&E for 30 years, said Lisa Randle, PG&E spokeswomen. He was traveling to PG&E's DeSabla camp at the time of the accident.Smith's dog, Sparky, was in the vehicle with him at the time of the accident. Sparky was returned to the victim's family.
UPDATE, Fire chief jolted by electricity expects to leave hospital soon
08/29/01, By JIMMY P. MILLER , The Express-Times
NAZARETH - Vigilance Hose Co. Fire Chief Danny Keenhold said he will be released from the hospital today or Thursday.In his first interview since being critically burned by at least 20,000 volts of electricity on Thursday, Keenhold said he was feeling fine and looking forward to coming home."I’m a lucky man, I can tell you that for a fact," he said from his room in Lehigh Valley Hospital’s burn unit.Keenhold said he and his family were "holding up fine." He anticipates a full recovery with no permanent injuries, he said."My health’s A-1," Keenhold said. "At first they thought maybe the electricity got my heart a bit, but … that came back to normal."He said it will take him months to recover from a skin graft that was done to both his hands. Doctors took skin off his legs and used it for his hands, which will be wrapped in bandages indefinitely, he said.The wraps will prevent him from driving or from lifting anything at his business, Nazareth Produce. He does, however, plan to return to work as soon as possible and help out where he can, he said."I just got to watch so I don’t get infections," Keenhold said, adding that his daughter was about to feed him because he doesn’t have any use of his hands. "There ain’t a whole heck of a lot I can do."There’s no timetable on when he will return to his duties with the fire department, he said.Vigilance Hose Co. President Carl Strye Jr. said First Assistant Chief Ed Statler will be taking over the chief’s duties until further notice.Keenhold said he is still unsure how the electricity flowed from a flaming utility pole to his body.The fire department got a call shortly after 3:30 p.m. for a fire at the top of a utility pole on Route 248, at the west end of the borough."We went first of all with the fire truck," he said. "And then the cop called back and said it’s flaming at the top.I brought the aerial, and thought maybe we could put some dry chem on it. I went up the ladder, and I don’t know if the electricity jumped from pole to pole or from pole to the ladder - I don’t know. It happened so quick. It locked me to the ladder. Then I broke my hands free, thank God."Keenhold said about 20,000 to 24,000 volts went through him. He was still listed in critical condition Tuesday, according to a hospital spokeswoman. Strye explained that Keenhold was listed in critical condition because he was recovering in the burn unit.Strye said the fire department was waiting to get a report on the accident from PPL Corp., which owns the utility pole and wires.PPL spokesman Jim Burns said the company’s safety department is investigating, but he did not know when a report will be complete. Vigilance Hose might be able to incorporate the incident into the company’s training, Strye said. "There are lessons to be learned out of this," he said. "You’re a volunteer. When you leave the house, you don’t know what can happen. Guys don’t think about that. I think they’ll think about it a little bit more now."The incident has brought the Nazareth community together, Strye said. He added that the driver of the ladder truck at the time, Ernie Fehnel, was badly shaken up by the episode."Nobody’s blaming him," Strye said. "It was just a freak accident, and we all know that."The fire company’s members were happy to see Keenhold be himself again, Strye said. "He’s the luckiest guy on earth, I know," Strye said. "You can have your Powerball winners and stuff, but this guy is one lucky dude. His number was not up."
230,000 volts send construction worker to hospital
By Robert Airoldi, STAFF WRITER
FREMONT -- A 22-year-old construction worker was burned after receiving an electric shock from a power line Monday morning.Adolfo Diaz was semi-conscious and in critical condition when he left the construction site via helicopter, but a Santa Clara Valley Medical Center spokeswoman said he was in fair condition Monday afternoon."He got hit with the full force," said Division Chief Geoff LaTendresse of the Fremont Fire Department. "That's a significant amount of electricity to be exposed to."It was about 8:10 a.m. when Diaz was trying to access the roof of one of three commercial buildings under construction at 43600 S. Grimmer Blvd.Diaz was using a self-operated boom lift, when his head apparently came within the safety zone of the line and it arced, shooting 230,000 volts of electricity through his body, LaTendresse said. LaTendresse said he did not know whether the hard hat Diaz was wearing contained metal.Firefighters doing an equipment check at the S. Grimmer Boulevard fire station heard the explosion and saw the lights in the station flicker. Minutes later, the call came in.Diaz was unable to lower the boom himself, so firefighters rescued him using a nearby lift."(Firefighters) went up near and below and him and pulled him off," LaTendresse.The passage of electricity through the body can cause severe burns, shock and death.The hospital spokeswoman refused to divulge the man's exact injuries.Perhaps the most notable accidental electric shock occurred in May 2000 when a television reporter -- sitting in the front passenger seat of a television van -- received an electric shock when the microwave antenna mast came in contact with 34,000-volt power lines.She suffered through 10 operations, 33 transfusions and the amputation of a leg, arm and part of a hand and foot. She also suffered third-degree burns to both feet, both forearms and a hand when the power coursed through the vehicle and her body.
Although the voltage was significantly higher in Diaz's accident, he never came in direct contact with the line."It's really an incredible survival," LaTendresse said.
Construction worker killed in Hacks Point; * Electrocuted when part of cement truck hit power lines
HACKS POINT - A Delaware man was electrocuted Friday when the boom of the concrete truck he was operating struck an overhead power line.Cleveland Brokenbraugh, 27, of Middletown, an employee of Bear Materials in Bear, Del., was pronounced dead at Union Hospital due to injuries from the electrocution, which occurred at about 1:30 p.m. on Bohemia Lane, according to the Cecil County Sheriff's Office.Witnesses at the scene said Cleveland was using a remote control device to operate the boom of a concrete pumping truck when the boom touched a power line located about 30 feet overhead."It is just a damn tragedy - that is all it is," said Jim Coughlin, the homeowner at Bohemia Lane where Cleveland was doing the concrete work. Gary Noyes, who is Coughlin's neighbor, was working side-by-side with Brokenbraugh when the electrocution occurred."He reached down to pick up the remote control joystick and as soon as he grabbed it the electricity just went right through him," Noyes said. "I had been working with him the whole day. He was a really nice kid - it was just horrible."Brokenbraugh had a girlfriend with two children with whom he lived and was in a hurry to get the concrete poured on Friday so he could go on vacation with his family, Noyes said.On Sunday, Noyes and Coughlin were sitting with their wives and friends around a pool, still shaken from the tragedy that unfolded there on Friday."He said, 'I got to get this done as soon as I can because my family is waiting for me,'" Noyes said. "He had just poured the concrete and had lifted the boom to an upright position so he could clean it out."Coughlin said he had taken a picture of Brokenbraugh on Friday while he was operating the remote-control concrete pumper. He said no one could have known it would be the last picture ever taken of the likable, animated, 27-year-old man."He was a really nice kid, reminded me of Chris Rock the comedian. He was just a friendly guy who was immediately the center of attention as soon as he got here," Coughlin said."I think the sun was right in his eyes so he couldn't see that the boom was on the power line," Noyes said. "If he hadn't been electrocuted it would have been me because I was just about to put my hand on the truck when it hit him."Noyes called 911 as soon as he saw Brokenbraugh on the ground."The paramedics were here in about one minute," Noyes said. "They worked on him for about an hour, taking turns doing CPR. They just wouldn't give up on him."The other concrete workers at the scene were visibly shaken, Noyes said."Everyone was really affected by this, it was a real somber scene," he said. "One of the workers began praying - we had a prayer service for him right there."Brokenbraugh was pronounced dead at Union Hospital in Elkton at about 2:30 p.m., according to police.Tom Marple, director of the Occupational Safety and Health Association's Office of Construction Services, said the primary cause of electrocutions that happen in the workplace is contact with overhead power lines."We see it happen time and time again," he said.According to OSHA data, nearly 150 workers in the nation die each year due to electrocution from contact with overhead power lines.
Electrical worker dies in accident at GE Plastics
By MARK WILSON, Courier & Press staff writer MOUNT VERNON, Ind. — The accidental death of a contract electrical worker on Thursday night has caused GE Plastics to close part of its Mount Vernon site.Jeffrey A. Wolf, 42, was fatally shocked Thursday while working on wiring for an expansion project at GE’s Lexan Development Facility.Wolf was employed by Industrial Contractors of Evansville, where he had worked for 10 years.“This is not a GE employee, but GE Plastics is cooperating fully with the investigation (of the accident),” said GE Plastics spokeswoman Kimberly Derk.She said new safety procedures involving the work Wolf was conducting at the time of his death have been put in place and are being followed.The Lexan Development Facility has been closed until Industrial Contractors finishes its investigation of the accident.Tom Conkling, safety manager for Industrial Contractors, said the company was “deeply saddened” by Wolf’s death. “We take safety very seriously,” he said. “There is no higher priority than the safety of our employees and those who work on our sites.”
Father and son electrocuted in farming tragedy; Another son burned as irrigation pipe hits hydro wires
Jennifer Kwan, STAFF REPORTER
A father and son were electrocuted in a farming accident yesterday in the tobacco belt community of Teeterville.A second son suffered severe burns to his hands and feet.The accident killed Anthony Jacques, 51, and his son Archie, 21, and left the tiny community in Norfolk County shaken.It happened as the men were laying irrigation pipe on their tobacco farm on Regional Rd. 19 around 4 p.m., said Constable Mark Foster of the Ontario Provincial Police Haldimand-Norfolk detachment.As they worked their way closer to the side of their home, where there were hydro lines, they spotted a mouse inside the 13-centimeter pipe, Foster said.`They were shaking the pipe to get the mouse to run out,'' he said. ``Only it didn't want to run out.''Foster said the three lifted the 9-metre-long metal pipe into the air to make the mouse slide out, and the pipe came into contact with the hydro lines.``The father is the manager, the owner (and) they're right in the middle of harvesting,'' Foster said.``How do you deal with that? It has to be very difficult.''All three were rushed to Norfolk General Hospital in Simcoe, where Anthony and Archie were pronounced dead.Ryan Jacques, 17, was transported to the burn unit at Hamilton General Hospital with burns to his hands and feet.George Elliott, a retired farmer who lives next to the Jacques farm, called it a ``tragedy'' when he learned about the accident last night.``They've been in the neighbourhood for a long time,'' he said. ``They're a good family.''Elliott said the family has been living there since the 1950s and farms at least 40 hectares of tobacco.He said there are three boys in the family and all of them help out on the farm.Gary Gallant, who lives on Windham Rd. 3, northeast of the Jacques, said Archie attended Delhi secondary school and played on the basketball team.``My wife referees basketball for the high school and she knows the family,'' Gallant said.They also went to church together at Our Lady of La Salette, located between Scotland and Delhi.
Hydro lineman dies on the job in St. Catharines; Labour ministry investigates electrocution
Margaret Mironowicz TORSTAR NEWS SERVICEST. CATHARINES - Staff at St. Catharines Hydro are grieving over the death of a lineman who was killed on the job.James Smyth, 41, was electrocuted on Thursday while switching power lines from one pole to another in a residential area.The last time a lineman with St. Catharines Hydro died from electrocution was in 1938, president John Kerklaan said.The labour ministry is investigating the death, and so is St. Catharines Hydro through its health and safety committee, Kerklaan said.Grief counsellors were called in yesterday to help staff cope with the fatal accident, he said. St. Catharines Hydro has a staff of 92. Smyth, who had been working for the company for four years, was one of 27 linemen, Kerklaan said.``We're still trying to piece together what happened. He made an electrical contact with a secondary voltage (line) - it was actually 120 volts. They were doing a pole change in a residential area, and it was near the end of the job. All we know is he made contact with the secondary wire and as a result of that, he lowered himself into the bucket truck and he lost consciousness.''Smyth was working with another lineman, who was in a separate bucket, and a supervisor. Kerklaan said co-workers called 911 and unsuccessfully tried to revive Smyth with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He was taken to Hotel Dieu Hospital in St. Catharines and pronounced dead.Kerklaan said there have been two similar deaths in Ontario in recent years. A lineman from Niagara Falls Hydro was electrocuted two years ago on the job, and another in the former region of Haldimand-Norfolk last year.``We have a very good safety record,'' said Kerklaan.``The secondary voltage (line) was still live, which is normal. You isolate the primary current while you are working on it, but it's normal for a secondary voltage to be live.''Normally, linemen wear protective gloves to isolate them from an electrical current. He did not know if Smyth was wearing gloves or not.``We're planning first of all to get through this grieving process,'' Kerklaan said.Smyth loved his job and regarded those he worked with as his ``extended family,'' said his father John, 64. He spent most of his time outside of his job immersed in his greatest love - flying parachute-powered ultralight aircraft and teaching others to fly at a school he started more than four years ago, called Just Plane Fun. He operated the school with one ultralight aircraft kept at the Welland-Port Colborne airport.``He flew all over the Niagara Peninsula. He was a very happy and immensely kind young man,'' said his father, who is also a licensed pilot and shared his love of flying.Smyth lived in Vineland and called every day to check on his father.He was working with his best friend when he was electrocuted on the job. They were switching lines from one pole to another in a residential area of St. Catharines, at Cayuga and York streets at about 2 p.m.``They're all professionals working in that environment. He was specially trained to deal with high voltage,'' said his father. ``It's not the type of accident you expect to happen.''Smyth, not married, worked for hydro companies for almost 20 years in the Hamilton and Burlington area, and settled in Vineland after his father moved to St. Catharines.
UPDATE, Power station blast report out; Work has resumed at the plant following the blast
A power station explosion which killed three men and left a fourth badly injured happened during a maintenance operation, a report has revealed.The Health and Safety Executive has completed the first stage of its investigation into the blast on 8 August at the Teesside Power Station, which is owned by Enron Power Operations.Initial findings indicate the incident occurred while voltages were adjusted in the plant's electrical system.The two workers who died at the scene were operator technicians Andrew Sherwood, 36, of Hartlepool, and Darren Higgins, 28, of Normanby, near Middlesbrough.The third, who died in hospital, was Paul Surtees, 40, of Hawthorn, County Durham, an engineering and maintenance manager.Operator technician Graeme White, 37, of Billingham, Teesside, is still recovering in Middlesbrough General Hospital from severe burns.A statement released by the HSE said: "During a planned maintenance programme involving shut-down of part of the power station, electrical power had to be redistributed to support the services and maintain essential supplies. "This included adjusting the voltages in the electrical system to allow a circuit breaker to be closed."At the time of the incident employees were engaged in an operation intended to alter the voltage across a large transformer and this resulted in an immediate explosion and fire."Throughout the investigation, HSE inspectors have had the full co-operation of Enron managers and employees."The generation of electricity resumed on August 19 and HSE is now preparing a report for the coroner to assist with the preparation of the inquests."A final decision on whether to bring any criminal proceedings will not be made until after the inquests. The statement continued: "The next stage of HSE's investigation will include consideration of whether there are lessons which can be learned by the electricity industry to minimise the risk of this type of incident happening again elsewhere."Inquests into the three deaths have already been opened and adjourned to a date yet to be fixed.The investigation by the HSE is expected to continue off site for several more days.Enron's chief executive flew in from America to investigate the incident at Lazenby near Middlesbrough.The explosion was the third at the plant since it was built eight years ago.Two previous accidents left two employees seriously injured, one partially blind and deaf.The power station generates electricity for the National Grid using North Sea gas.
Another UtiliCorp employee injured By BURTON TAYLOR, St. Joseph News-Press
Two UtiliCorp United employees are in the hospital after sustaining electrical-related injuries while working in the field.Robin Roberts, 45, is in serious condition, recuperating from injuries he received Tuesday working on a company transformer in St. Joseph.The UtiliCorp technician was burned while conducting maintenance procedures outside the St. Joseph Foods building at the Mitchell Woods Business Park.“We called the emergency equipment as soon as it happened, and he was taken out of here,” said Larry Coffman, vice president of St. Joseph Foods.The St. Joseph resident was first transported to Heartland Health and then flown to the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., joining another UtiliCorp worker also laid up at the hospital’s burn unit.District Lineman Lloyd Pitts, 60, was injured while replacing an electrical transformer and connecting a customer’s service on Aug. 14 in Pickering, Mo. He has been in the hospital since the accident took place, and his condition has recently been upgraded to fair.UtiliCorp officials maintain accidents such as these are rare and that the two are not connected in any way.“Accidents are always a concern of the company, but these were unrelated,” said George Minter, UtiliCorp spokesman. “Our main concern is the standpoint of theemployees getting well and finding out what caused the accidents.”While UtiliCorp maintains the incidents are unrelated by time and cause, doctors note the effects of the accidents also are different.Although he couldn’t go into detail about the two patients’ conditions, Dr. Richard Korentager, an assistant professor at the Medical Center, named two different types of high-voltage electrical injuries. Each example mirrors the injuries experienced by the UtiliCorp employees.In the more recent case, Mr. Roberts experienced an electrical burn, which is sometimes similar to a flame burn or surface burn, depending on severity, Dr. Korentager said. The other type of high-voltage injury is electrical shock, Dr. Korentager said. This is the type of injury Mr. Pitts experienced a couple weeks ago.In an electrical shock, the current of electricity enters one point of the body, does its damage and then exits through another point, the doctor said. During that process, the electrical current typically causes most damage deep inside the body, Dr. Korentager said.“The electrical current travels through the path of lesser resistance, which is normally areas of deeper tissue,” Dr. Korentager said. “The heat is generated in the deeper tissue so you literally see cooking from the inside out.”Treatment can be extensive in both cases and often includes the removal of tissue, muscle and sometimes is followed with skin grafts, he added.However, in most cases the patients survive.“In the vast majority of cases, people will certainly survive, but they could have major long-term (effects),” Dr. Korentager said.In an attempt to limit those long-term effects, the two injured UtiliCorp employees will continue to be cared for at the Medical Center.“You treat them at the hospital until the dead muscle has been removed and the wounds have been able to heal,” Dr. Korentager said. “With these types of injuries, treatment can be very hard.”UtiliCorp United officials are currently working on an investigation to determine the causes of the accidents.
Worker still in critical condition
BY PETE NARDI , The Island Packet, Published Wednesday, August 15th, 2001
A construction worker remained in critical condition Tuesday evening after being electrocuted earlier in the day at a Sun City Hilton Head construction yard off Bulltomb Road, authorities said.Cecil Alphord, 25, was in critical condition at Hilton Head Medical Center and Clinics as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, said hospital spokeswoman Kelly Presnell.Co-workers were performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Alphord when Beaufort County paramedics and Bluffton firefighters reached him shortly after 9:30 a.m., said Capt. Trey Fludd of the Bluffton Township Fire District."Beaufort County EMS paramedics shocked him once and got a pulse," Fludd said.Alphord was working under Sun City builder DJ Construction on Tuesday, and apparently was electrocuted by the cord of a power tool he was using on the roof of a building when the cord got caught on the roofing, said Ken Hull, Sun City general manager.
Blast cuts power Many residents, UGA left in dark
By Stephen Gurr, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
An explosion at a Georgia Power substation off Old Hull Road disrupted power for thousands of Athenians during the lunch hour Wednesday, knocking out traffic signals and halting electrical service to the University of Georgia.Power was restored without incident within 30 minutes, at about 12:25 p.m. Wednesday.Athens-Clarke and UGA police scrambled to direct traffic at dozens of busy intersections from North Avenue to College Station and Lexington roads. There was only one reported accident during the time power was out -- a two-car accident with no injuries at the Athens Perimeter and Olympic Drive.The failure of a 115,000-volt transmission breaker at the Athena substation ruptured an oil-filled breaker tank, sparking a massive explosion and fire that destroyed the breaker, said Doug McGowan, region distribution manager for the Georgia Power Co. The site was unmanned and no one was injured in the explosion.''It would have gotten your attention,'' McGowan said of the blast. ''That's one of the reasons there are those fences around them.''UGA Police Chief Chuck Horton said the outage caused no major problems, though some folks were stuck in elevators during the blackout. The university police switchboard was swamped with callers ''kind enough to tell us we had a power outage,'' Horton quipped.McGowan said approximately 13,000 power customers in eastern Clarke county were affected, with a ripple effect that may have reached as far as 40 miles into neighboring counties. There were reports of scattered power outages in Oconee and Oglethorpe counties.Catastrophic breaker failures are rare, McGowan said. The cause of Wednesday's failure was not immediately known, but earlier lightning damage may have weakened the breaker, he said.Georgia Power officials expect to have the breaker repaired within the next few days. In the meantime, a hole in the system's power grid makes it more vulnerable to isolated outages in the event of fallen trees or accidents.
UtiliCorp employee burned by shock St. Joseph News-Press, By BURTON TAYLOR Lineman in critical condition at burn unit
A UtiliCorp United employee is recovering after an accident in which 7,200 volts of electricity passed through his body.District lineman Lloyd Pitts, 60, was accidentally shocked Tuesday afternoon while working to replace an electrical transformer and connect a customer’s service near Missouri Route 148 in Pickering, Mo.UtiliCorp, which began offering electrical service to Northwest Missouri residents after purchasing St. Joseph Light & Power in December, is working to determine how the accident happened.However, more immediate concerns remain with Mr. Pitts’ current condition, UtiliCorp spokesperson George Minter said.The veteran employee was transported to the University of Kansas Medical Center burn unit for treatment after the accident. Mr. Pitts was in critical condition late Wednesday, a hospital official said. No details of his injuries were released.As doctors work to help Mr. Pitts, company officials and the employees’ union are investigating what events took place leading up to the accident. He was working with another lineman when the accident happened. Other than that one witness’s testimony, the company will rely heavily on Mr. Pitts’ own account of what took place, UtiliCorp spokesperson Judy Ness said.“You just have to go back and talk to the people involved, and of course he is not in the condition to talk himself,” she said. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local No. 695 is working with the company to determine the cause of the accident. However, they, too, are unsure of what transpired.“We don’t know exactly what happened yet,” said Rick Strasser, IBEW business manager/financial secretary. “But our work is hazardous work. That’s why they pay us what they do.”Linemen work with several different types of electrical lines each day. Mr. Pitts was working on an area distribution line, which has enough of a current to serve an entire neighborhood of customers, Ms. Ness said.“It’s a line that other lines feed off of, but it’s not one of the high-voltage transmission lines,” she said.Transmission lines carry more than 100,000 volts of electricity.
UPDATE,Death blast power station reopens
An official report into the explosion is expected
Power generation is to resume at the Enron plant on Teesside where three people died in an explosion on 8 August.The move follows the completion of an on-site investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).The reopening will not happen until after the funerals of the three men, which are expected on Friday.Theinvestigation by the HSE is expected to continue off site for several more days.Enron's chief executive flew in from America to investigate the incident at Lazenby near Middlesbrough.The explosion was the third at the plant since it was built eight years ago.Two previous accidents left two employees seriously injured, one partially blind and deaf.The combined heat and power station, which uses gas from the North Sea to produce electricity for the national grid, had been switched off for maintenance at the time of the explosion.The power station is opposite the former ICI Wilton site, which is still a petro-chemical complex.
Worker hurt at Utilities' substation worksite
A man working at the site of a new Hutchinson Utilities substation was injured Monday when he fell into a basement located under a concrete equipment pad.According to Hutchinson Fire Chief Brad Emans, the Hutchinson Ambulance and Hutchinson Fire Department was called to the scene, which is about five miles south of Hutchinson on County Road 25, at 11:03 a.m.The injured worker, identified as David Tifft, a mechanic in the power supply division, apparently fell through an opening in the concrete pad and landed in about 10 inches of water. He was conscious, but complained of back pain and numbness in his left arm, according to Emans.The victim was lifted out of the eight- to 10-foot deep basement with the help of a crane on the construction site and was airlifted to a Twin Cities hospital. No further information on his condition was available as this edition of the Leader went to the press.A transformer, a key component of the project, was delivered to the substation site last week.
Repairman receives serious shock on roof
By ALAN BURKE, News staff
PEABODY -- A critically injured air conditioning technician, struck by hundreds of volts of electricity, was rescued yesterday from a Centennial Park rooftop after he managed to call for help on his cell phone. The repairman, Edward Eastman, 37, of Methuen, was taken first to Salem Hospital and then to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition late last night.
Eastman, an independent contractor working on behalf of Associated Mechanical Industries in Woburn, was alone on the roof of FEI Company at 10 Technology Drive at the time of the accident. Exactly what brought him into contact with the electricity could not be determined yesterday. But workers inside the building knew at once that something was wrong. "I guess the lights flickered," said Ed Cahill of FEI. "That must have been when he was injured." On the loading dock, another employee heard a series of loud pops. According to Deputy Fire Chief Paul Hinchion, Eastman was hit with between 220 and 440 volts of electricity. "The electricity probably entered through his hands," he said. "He was working with his hands. Then it has to exit somewhere and it came out up near his neck. ... He got zapped pretty good." Eastman suffered significant blood loss through the wound on his neck, according to one witness. Stunned, he was nevertheless able to call 911 and report the accident. He could not make clear, however, which part of the huge roof he was on. But in a remarkable twist, workers at FEI were apparently listening to a scanner and realized that the accident had occurred above them. They also called 911, while alerting the dock workers. Eastman was located slumped alongside the air conditioning unit. A charred metal neck chain was found next to him. The Peabody Fire Department, along with Peabody Police and Northshore Ambulance, responded "within minutes," according Hinchion, reaching the roof and turning off the power. "He was still breathing, still talking to us," said EMT David Rowley. The air conditioning unit was found open, the no-longer-live wires exposed.
The fact that the victim remained conscious was encouraging, Rowley said. Moments after the accident, Eastman was being slowly, painstakingly lowered from the two-story brick building, down the gradual slope of a fire truck's ladder. His arms were raw and red from burns and blood, and he was moving occasionally. Employees of FEI stood about watching, grim faced. "It's extremely unsettling," said Eileen Boudreau of FEI, which produces semiconductors for computers. The building's air conditioning, she added, had been showing the stress of a long heat spell. The federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration and city officials have begun an investigation of the accident, according to police spokesman Sgt. Dennis Bonaiuto.
Autopsy shows worker at Millville Airport was electrocuted
August 14, 2001 - 12:15 AM, By JOYCE VANAMAN, Staff Writer, (856) 825-2303 MILLVILLE - The result of an autopsy conducted this past weekend lists electrocution as the cause of death of Mark Voorhees Jr., who was working in an electrical vault at Millville Airport last Thursday.Glenn Nickerson, Cumberland County public information officer, said Monday the autopsy was conducted at Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point by Dr. Elliot Gross, medical examiner for Cumberland and Cape May counties.Further study and investigation of the incident is being conducted under the direction of Col. John McCarnan, chief of police for the Delaware River and Bay Authority, which operates Millville Airport."We are conducting the investigation and evaluation of evidence," McCarnan said.Voorhees Jr., who would have been 34 this month, was employed by Gary Kubiak & Sons of Allentown, Monmouth County.Cumberland County Prosecutor Arthur Marchand, whose office worked with McCarnan, previously said it looked like Voorhees might have gotten a jolt and then drowned. There was some water in the vault.The victim was removed from the vault by workers and emergency medical personnel. Voorhees was transported to South Jersey Hospital-Newcomb Medical Center in Vineland by the Millville Rescue Squad and was pronounced dead a short time later.
UPDATE, Electrocution Investigation Begins
Monday August 13 10:39 PM EDT
Two investigations were under way Monday after an Allegheny Power worker died Friday morning after receiving a shock from damaged power lines in Bell, Westmoreland County.Two other workers were injured.The incident happened near Route 981 in a wooded part of town. A power line in that area had been damaged during an early morning thunderstorm, causing about 700 people to lose service.About a dozen Allegheny Power investigators and one representative from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were at the scene Monday to try to determine the cause of the electrocution."The line they were working on was de-energized at the time they were making repairs," said Allen Staggers of Allegheny Power. "Now something happened, and that's what we're trying to determine."Thomas Lewis Moyes, 34, of New Kensington, Pa., died at the scene Friday.Edward Copney of Export, Pa., is now in fair condition at Allegheny General Hospital.David Berkebile of New Kensington, Pa., is in serious condition at West Penn Hospital.The OSHA investigator will try to determine a cause and if the company is liable for any violations.
2 workers burned in electrical accident
By Cass Peterson, Daily Record
EAST HANOVER — An electrical accident left two workmen critically burned Tuesday morning at a pharmaceutical business on DeForest Avenue.Ralph Newhouse, 41, and Franco Augstan, 37, both of Elizabeth, were working on electrical equipment in the basement of a building at 44 DeForest Ave. about 8:22 a.m. when the accident occurred, police said. The building is occupied by Sidmak Laboratories Inc. East Hanover Lt. James Monaghan said both men were critically injured, Newhouse suffering burns over 50 percent of his body and Augstan over 14 percent of his body.Both were taken to the St. Barnabas Medical Center burn unit in Livingston, where both were listed in critical condition. Newhouse and Augstan were employed as electricians by Arco Electric of Elizabeth.The cause of the accident had not been determined Tuesday evening, and was under investigation by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and East Hanover police, Monaghan said. Sidmak Laboratories, headquartered in East Hanover, is a maker of generic versions of widely known prescription drugs, including propranolol (Inderal), cimetidine (Tagamet), metronidazole (Flagyl) and cyclosporine (Neoral).
Worker dies in office renovation accident
By Desireé Hunter, The Arizona Republic, July 31, 2001
An electrician who suffered a charge of electricity while doing work renovating an office building in Phoenix this afternoon has died.The name of the 35-year-old man is not being released at this time, said Sargent Doug Mummert with the Phoenix Fire Department.A co-worker had called the fire department at 2:10 p.m. after seeing a flash of electricity and the Phoenix man fall to the ground, Mummert said. It appears the man and another worker had been using water from a cooler when the man slipped. To stop his fall, he reached out to grab something and took hold of electrical wires and was shocked, Mummert said.Upon arrival, paramedics found the man with no pulse or respiratory function. He was taken to John C. Lincoln Hospital but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.The man had been working on the first floor of a building at 10851 N. Black Canyon Access.
Bay St. Louis man electrocuted while on the job
BILOXI (AP) -- A Gulf Coast utility worker has died after he was electrocuted while on the job. Coast Electric Power Association employee Bernard Mutter III, 43, died Monday afternoon when he touched a primary line while changing a circuit breaker connection on a light pole. Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove said between 300,000 and 400,000 volts of electricity passed through Mutter's body. Hargrove said Mutter was in cardiac arrest when he was transported to Garden Park Medical Center. He died shortly afterward. Coast Electric spokesman Ron Barnes said the company stresses safety and is constantly upgrading its equipment to ensure employees' safety. Barnes said the company is one of two in Mississippi that is accredited nationally for its safety procedures. Barnes said Coast Electric will "redouble its efforts with our employees to understand safety comes first."
UPDATE, Outlook good for injured LES worker
BY MARGARET REIST Lincoln Journal Star
"Hi, mom." Those two words made Anita Pellan's day Thursday, if not her year. They probably rank right up there with the best two words she's ever heard. Because such greetings - such casual, every-day kind of remarks -- take on added significance when they're said by your 34-year-old son just three days after 7,200 volts of electricity coursed through his body. They mean everything when you've sat by his bed in the Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center's burn unit, when you've prayed for your heavily sedated son, a tube down his throat, life support equipment attached to his body. "We just took it moment by moment," Pellan said Thursday of the accident that critically injured her son Mike Pellan - a Lincoln Electric System employee hit in the neck by a live electric line while he worked near 70th Street and Bluff Road Tuesday morning. "It was really great to hear his voice and realize he recognized us," said Pellan of North Bend. Mike Pellan, who is unmarried and has two sisters and a brother, has had family members by his side since the accident. Dr. Chet Paul called the recovery miraculous - and he credited the Lincoln man's survival to a co-worker who got him safely down from the "bucket" he was working in and performed CPR until help arrived. "In all likelihood, he saved his life, so that fellow is a hero," Paul said. LES officials declined to name the co-worker, who they said was still very upset by what happened. But they also commended him for the action he took - procedures employees are trained in but seldom need to use. The last time contact with an electrical wire injured an employee was in 1997. Before that, it was in the 1980s, said LES Operations Manager Neil Engelman. "It catches our attention and makes us aware of how dangerous electric work is," he said. Mike Pellan was working on a nonenergized line when he rotated his bucket and inadvertently touched a live line, Engelman said. LES officials are reviewing the accident, and it appears he thought the live wire was below him. Employees were just as happy to learn that their co-worker - who has worked for LES since December but had about five years of experience before that with Nebraska Public Power District - was alert and off most of the life support equipment Thursday. "It's remarkable in my mind," Engelman said. "We've been with Anita for three days now, we didn't know what permanent damage there might be." Dr. Paul said the prognosis for a full recovery is good. Mike Pellan suffered third-degree burns on his neck where the wire touched him, and his right hand where the electricity left his body. He will likely have to undergo some skin grafting on his right arm and hand, Paul said. But the electric contact was not long enough to cause significant damage to his muscles, he said. His mother credits her son's quick recovery to faith - an important part of their lives. E-mails came to her from acquaintances all over the country who sent their prayers online, she said. "We were just putting our trust in the Lord and our faith, and taking it day by day," she said.
Man hurt when electricity flows in line under repair
A utility worker was seriously injured Wednesday after receiving an electric shock at an apartment complex in northern Charlotte, authorities said. The worker, identified by police as 48-year-old Roger Crump, was working on an underground power line in a hole near the intersection of Canterwood Drive and Elgywood Lane about 1:45 p.m. Somehow, the power was turned on, police said. Several co-workers rushed to help Crump, a Pike Electrical Co. employee. The Charlotte man had stopped breathing before co-workers and paramedics resuscitated him. Medic took Crump to Carolinas Medical Center, where he was in serious condition late Wednesday. The incident occurred at the Maple Run Apartments in the Hidden Valley community. Officials from the N.C. office of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration are investigating.
Plumber killed in flat
A plumber has died after being involved in a freak accident while working on a central heating system in a flat. It appears that James Duncan, 55, who had been working alone, was electrocuted. He was found in the bathroom of a flat in Thomson Street, Aberdeen, by the owner of the property. Emergency services who were immediately called to the scene of the tragedy battled to revive Mr Duncan, but were unsuccessful. The plumber, who had run his own business in the city for a number of years, was well-known throughout the city. Grampian Police and the health and safety executive are investigating the accident and a post mortem will be carried out. A spokesman for the police said: "It is not known how long a period of time there was between the occupier leaving him to get on with the task and him returning to the flat around 2pm to make the discovery."
Theater janitor electrocuted
Posted: 9:31 PM (Manila Time) | August 06, 2001, By Jerome Aning, Inquirer News Service
A JANITOR yesterday morning was electrocuted while looking for the source of a foul smell under an escalator in a moviehouse in Quiapo, Manila. Lorenzo Breiz, 24, married, employed as a janitor at the Tandem Theater on C.M. Recto Avenue in Quiapo and a resident of V. Mapa Street in Sta. Mesa, died on the spot after touching an exposed live wire under the escalator. His fellow janitor, Nestor Ellar, 26, told homicide investigator SPO1 Steve Casimiro that they were searching the escalator for what they suspected was a dead rat. “He asked me to stop the elevator and I did, and he immediately went into a hole at the bottom of the staircase,” Ellar told SPO1 Casimiro. As soon as he got into the opening, Breiz screamed, his body quivered and then lay still, Ellar said. Breiz was no longer breathing when he was pulled out of the hole, Ellar said. SPO1 Casimiro said an exposed live wire found inside the vent could have touched the victim's chest, where policemen found a large burn.
City BLW worker electrocuted while fixing utility pole; Officials unsure of events leading to man's death
By Jeffrey Widmer, Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
MARIETTA - A five and a half year employee of the Marietta Board of Lights died after he was electrocuted early Saturday morning as he tried to repair a damaged utility pole on Allgood Road near Cobb Parkway. William Ryan Evans, 24, of Jasper was on a bucket truck attempting to repair the pole at about 5 a.m. when he came into contact with 120 volts of electricity. The incident took place directly in front of Marietta Fire Station No. 6. The pole had been damaged at 5 p.m. Friday in a car accident during heavy rains, said city spokesperson Audrey Griffies. Evans, hired by the city in December 1995 as a member of the tree trimming crew, received medical attention from his co-workers and firefighters at Station No. 6 before being transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, where he died. Ms. Griffies said no one is exactly sure how the incident occurred. A safety investigation team from the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG), which investigates such incidents, has completed its study of the incident and a report will be made available to the public Monday afternoon, she said. “We're not sure how it happened right now,” Ms. Griffies said. Evans, who was married with a 5-month-old baby, was a tree trimmer for several years before being promoted to an apprentice line worker in 1998. He was a junior line worker when the incident took place. O.D. Reynolds, Marietta Board of Lights and Water manager, expressed sadness at the loss of Evans. “All of us are devastated,” Reynolds said. “Ryan was a fine young man ... most of us were not here the last time we had a fatal accident, and this is going to hit the BLW family hard. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ryan's family.” Saturday's incident is the first fatal accident involving the BLW since the summer of 1980. That incident occurred at a construction site off Kennesaw Avenue, when a worker was electrocuted and killed while working on a buried power line. Ambulance crews had trouble finding the location of the 1980 incident because at that time, there were no street names at construction sites. Ironically, the mayor and council ordered the city fire department to get into the rescue business as a result, said Phil Chovan, former deputy chief for the fire department.
Kennett Square Man Electrocuted (07/02/01)
A worker is dead after he was electrocuted while cutting down tree limbs in Radnor Township, Delaware County. Township police say officers found 31-year-old Steven Wintz of Newtown Square hanging from a tree shortly after 10:30 Monday morning along Yorkshire Road in the Rosemont section of the township. His co-workers of a tree company told police he had come in contact with a live wire. Wintz was taken to Bryn Mawr Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
City of Winfield employee who was nearly electrocuted
By Traveler staff
A City of Winfield employee who was nearly electrocuted Tuesday morning was expected to be released today from a Wichita hospital. Kevin Briles, 36, was flown by air ambulance to Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus after being injured while working on a 7,200-volt electrical transformer at Strother Field. Briles was standing on the ground, checking the transformer, when a wire shorted to the ground and blew Briles backward. The hair on his arm and head was singed. Medical personnel said he was transferred to the burn unit in Wichita as a precautionary measure because of the potential for internal injuries.
Fall River man electrocuted
BLACKSTONE -- A 50-year-old construction worker is dead after being electrocuted while maneuvering high-voltage wires in a steel cherry picker bucket at the town's High Rocks sewer project Thursday, police said. The Fall River man was felled by a line with 73,500 volts of electricity. He dropped about 15 feet from the bucket onto the dirt road below and died instantly, police said. Police Chief Ross A. Atstupenas identified the victim as Luis F. Sousa of 271 Glasgow St., Fall River. He was reportedly a foreman on the crew employed by ODF Contracting Co. Inc. of Dorchester, Mass., which has a $2 million contract with the town to install sewerage into the High Rocks area that includes Main and County streets, town officials said. State Police taking charge at the site, between 12 and 13 Staples Ave., about 150 yards from the Blackstone Gorge and dam, immediately shut down the work after the 2 p.m. accident. Local authorities contacted the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is expected to investigate the accident today. "He was in the bucket tying the wires up to raise them," said Officer Howard McGourty, one of the first emergency personnel to respond. McGourty said that Sousa was 15 to 18 feet off the ground inside the bucket of a piece of heavy equipment that operates like a back hoe with a huge crane-like arm to dig the sewer trenches when something went horribly wrong. He had tied together two or three sections of wires with nylon cord -- electrical, cable, telephone -- and was attempting to do the same to another section, McGourty said, when apparently a part of the machinery arm attached to the bucket hit the electrical wires. While Sousa was standing in a bucket that was three-quarters filled with sand, rescue workers surmised that Sousa "must have moved or turned," McGourty said, striking the metal machinery with his back. That's where the electricity shot into his body, flinging him from the bucket truck, face-first onto the ground, police said. "The (police) detail guy said it was like an explosion, it sounded like a shot," McGourty said. One older couple living nearby at 13 Staples Ave., Vincent and Marie Erickson, were home when the accident happened. "I was inside ironing and I saw the sparks and I came out to see what happened," Marie Erickson said. Like everyone nearby, she knew immediately the victim had little chance to survive. "It's sad. I feel bad for his family," she said. "The first officer who arrived checked for a pulse and there was none," said McGourty, who arrived just afterwards along with fire department EMTs. Shortly before 5 p.m., about three hours after the accident, Cartier's Funeral Home in Bellingham removed the body and transported the deceased to the Worcester County Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy. Police said a work crew of six or seven people from ODF Construction was at the site. Police said they were told that by tying the wires together, the crane-like arm of the machinery, with the bucket attached to it, would be able to swing virtually in a circle on the narrow street, which was supposedly a safe maneuver. "It's a very unfortunate accident and we'll just have to see what OSHA says," said Town Administrator Michael J. Guzinski, who was summonsed to the site as the person responsible for the town's sewer contract. While Guzinski said he could offer no further details about what happened, he was certain the often-delayed High Rocks project would be postponed indefinitely, pending the OSHA investigation. "They will have to give the town and the contractor the OK to proceed," he said. Guzinski acknowledged the town has been unhappy with the progress made by ODF Construction, which began work last summer, stopped for the winter and resumed work about three weeks ago. "Our main concern has been the fact they haven't been as eager to complete the project as quickly as we'd like," Guzinksi said. Because of additional costs associated with the delays, town meeting voters this spring appropriated an additional $500,000 for the High Rocks sewer project. The initial contract was for $1.8 million. This is part of several sewer projects in various stages of start-up that will cost about $8 million. Guzinski also said ODF "has been switching crews," causing problems for sewer engineers. He did not know how long Sousa had been working on this project. The accident also caused lost power in the immediate area, although some homeowners, like the Ericksons, said theirs had been restored. Massachusetts Electric Co. was contacted to restore power. Police had no explanation for why the utility company was not asked to move the power lines prior to the accident. "Right now our thoughts and prayers are for the person who was killed and his family," Guzinski said.
Victim of electrocution identified
News Tribune
A man who was electrocuted Friday while working at Georgia-Pacific Co.'s hardboard plant in Superior has been identified as Paul Douglas Roberts. Roberts, 49, of Foxboro, Wis., had been doing electrical work at the plant in Superior's North End. He was a field service engineer for sub-contractor ABB Power T&D Co. Georgia-Pacific and ABB Power are investigating the cause of the accident, which was reported Friday at about 11:45 a.m. No one witnessed the incident, according to Superior police. Family members said Saturday they had no details on the events leading up to Roberts' death. Roberts and his wife, Jean, moved onto a hobby farm in Foxboro in 1995, his daughter Dawn Roberts said Saturday. He kept cattle and horses, and he was a beekeeper. "He was an amazing person, always pretended to be crabby, but he always had a grin on his face,'' said Roberts. "He liked teasing people; that's probably what he's known for. "Having a farm was a dream. He made it for a while.''
Electrical worker critically burned on the job
By Eve Sullivan, Staff Writer
STAMFORD - A Canadian man was severely burned while working on a utility pole yesterday morning on High Ridge Road. Yvon Primo, 53, was listed in critical condition at Westchester County Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., where he was taken after the 9:25 a.m. incident. Primo, who lives near Montreal, was working for Thiro, a Newington company that subcontracts to Connecticut Light & Power. His crew was transferring wires from one pole to another at 856 High Ridge Road. Witnesses said they heard an explosion, then saw an arc - a luminous discharge of electric current - and a bright flash. "You couldn't really see the guy in the bucket for a second or so," said police Officer Paul Mellett, who was stationed at the site. Mellett radioed for help and had Primo's co-workers lower his bucket to the ground. He said Primo's flame-retardant clothing partially caught fire. "He was actually conscious," Mellett said. "He wanted to climb out of the bucket, but we made him stay in." Deputy Fire Marshal Frank Docimo, who arrived first on the scene with the Turn of River Fire Department, said Primo was standing in the bucket and speaking in French. "It was instantaneous," Docimo said. "It was just one bright flash, and it was over. In a millisecond, he went from being OK to being severely burned. It was almost like being struck by lightning." Rescue workers removed Primo's protective clothing and saw he was extensively burned on the front and back of his body. "It was apparent that this was a life-threatening injury," Docimo said. "I told my partner to make sure the burn units were on alert." Docimo said Primo had burns on about 75 percent of his body. Police officers said Primo appeared to be in shock and the skin was peeling off his back. "You could see he had second- and third-degree burns; his clothing was partially burnt off his body," police Sgt. Clifton Weed said. Deputy Fire Chief Lewis Belmont said rescuers removed Primo's clothing and placed a sterile sheet around him. They doused the sheet with water. Primo was initially taken to Stamford Hospital and later transported to Westchester County Medical Center's burn unit. John Swanson, a CL&P supervisor in Glenbrook, arrived on the scene shortly after the accident. "All I know is they were going to do the pole shift," Swanson said. "They were changing the wires to a new pole." Swanson said it's typical for CL&P to work with "energized conductors" and not shut off the power. He said he didn't know what caused the arc. "There's so many different things that conduct electricity," Swanson said. "It could have happened many different ways." Swanson said Primo appeared to be doing everything right, including wearing protective clothing. Several pieces of Primo's clothing were scattered around the roadway near the charred bucket, including a burnt orange coverall, rubber gloves, pants and a belt that had to be cut off him. "It happens time to time. It's not totally unheard of," Swanson said of the accident. "There are some hazards with the job that need to be taken into consideration." Primo came to Connecticut with a crew of other Canadians, authorities said. The state Occupational Safety and Health Administration was investigating at the site yesterday afternoon.
Electrician killed at Toyota plant
CAMBRIDGE - Cambridge's Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada plant has suffered its first work-related death after the electrocution of a 50-year-old city man yesterday. Around 10 a.m., Gerald M. Leader, a Cambridge electrician with State Group Limited, was working on Toyota's welding equipment when he was electrocuted. He was rushed to Cambridge Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. State Group is a North America-wide multi-trade company that employs over 2,000 electricians, pipe fitters and iron workers. State Group has been an on-site contractor with Toyota since the Fountain Street North automotive plant opened in 1988. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the worker's family,'' said Ed Ryan, safety director for State Group. It's the company's first fatality in its 30 years of existence. He said any State Group employee is required to take safety orientation tests from the company and from Toyota. Also, employees undergo one weekly job safety test a week, he said. Grief counselling is being made available to co-workers and to Leader's s family, Ryan said. The Ministry of Labour is investigating and wouldn't comment. Ryan said it's too early to determine how Leader was electrocuted. "All of Toyota employees and were shocked and, of course, saddened by the accident,'' said Steve Kennedy, a Toyota spokesman. He said the company is in a state of grieving. The plant has been on shutdown since Thursday. Production will resume July 23. All of Toyota's manufacturing plants pride themselves on maintaining impeccable safety standards, Kennedy said. "Safety is our first priority, it always has been.'' Last year, three workers died in industrial accidents in Cambridge and North Dumfries. Douglas Loyer, 20, of Kitchener was killed while cleaning a cement mixer at Pavestone Plus last summer. Pavestone was fined $140,000 on July 3. Charges of improper training, and to failure to take reasonable precaution were withdrawn. Bennett-Chev-Olds-Cadillac 2000 on Hespeler Road faces five charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Sean Smith died on Sept. 14 when a limousine he was working under crashed down on him and crushed him. The charges remain before the courts. And April 4 last year, Gorge Ferreira died at Orchid International on Fountain Street, when the 38-year-old welder was crushed after the 2,700-kilogram frame he was working on fell on him. The company is facing three charges.
TRACK WORKER ELECTROCUTED
By DAN MANGAN
July 18, 2001 -- A subway track worker was killed yesterday morning after falling onto an electrified third rail in Queens. Samuel McPhaul, 49, of Elmhurst, had been working as a flagman for a track crew at 2 a.m. when he died, said TA spokeswoman Deirdre Parker. McPhaul was pronounced dead at the scene, about 100 feet north of the Grand Avenue station. Service was disrupted on the line for about two hours, Parker said. John Samuelsen, the Transit Workers Union's track division chairman, said it was the first track-worker death since 1997.
Worker at library site electrocuted CULVER - A man working on the Culver Library expansion project was electrocuted Thursday.Marshall County Coroner John Grolich said Clairance Strawderman, 45, of Walkerton, was pronounced dead on arrival at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, Inc. - Plymouth Campus.Strawderman was employed by W.A. Sheets and Sons of Fort Wayne, one of the contractors working on the library project.The Culver-Union Township Library is being expanded from 4,500 square feet to more than 19,000 square feet in order to meet the needs of the library for the next 20-30 years.The construction project is expected to last between 12 and 15 months.Strawderman was reportedly working with a pumping device to pour concrete walls. Witnesses at the scene said Strawderman did not come in contact with power lines. Investigators believe he may have come too close to the lines and was electrocuted.Efforts were made to revive him at the scene. A 911 call was made to Culver Police, Fire and EMS, but he died before emergency rescue personnel arrived.The incident remains under investigation by the Marshall County Coroner's office. Frazee man electrocuted while working on car
Associated Press, Thursday, July 19, 2001
FRAZEE -- A Frazee man was electrocuted while welding in his garage.Authorities say that 24-year-old Scott Schermerhorn was electrocuted last night when he grabbed the car with his free hand as he welded underneath the vehicle.Schermerhorn's wife discovered him in the garage, unconscious and not breathing.He was transported to St. Mary's in Detroit Lakes, where he was pronounced dead.Doctors concluded that electrocution was the cause of death.
Miner dies in underground electrical accident
21 July 2001, By Roger Alford, Associated Press
PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- A coal miner was electrocuted Friday morning in an underground mine at Slemp. Gary R. Caudill Jr., 26, of Delphia, was pronounced dead at Blue Diamond Coal's No. 77 mine in southern Perry County. The fatality was the first in Kentucky's coal industry this year. Inspectors from the Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals and the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration are investigating the cause. Perry County Deputy Coroner Clayton Brown said Caudill, who had been a miner for five years, was working on an electrical panel that controlled a conveyor belt when the electrocution occurred about 2:45 a.m. Brown pronounced Caudill dead at the scene about 4 a.m. It was the first mine fatality in Kentucky since Oct. 4, 2000, said Cathy Prothro, spokeswoman for the Department of Mines and Minerals. "At this point last year there had been six fatalities," she said. Prothro said the safety of miners is a key concern for regulators in Kentucky, which has had more fatalities than any other state for the last three years. "As always our personnel are out there working hard to make sure every miner is performing his job safely," she said. MSHA, in a report released in January, said Kentucky accounted for about one-third of the 38 coal miners killed in the United States last year. Thirteen miners were killed in Kentucky mines; nine in West Virginia; four each in Virginia and Utah; two each in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Wyoming; and one each in Colorado and Indiana. The last time Kentucky had more than 13 mining deaths was 1993 when 18 miners were killed on the job. More stringent safety procedures and closer oversight by regulatory agencies have greatly decreased mine fatalities over previous decades. Nationally, more than 100 miners were killed each year through the 1970s. In the 1980s, the annual deaths ranged from 53 in 1988 to 125 in 1984. The number of fatalities nationally fell each year from 1990 through 1998, when they reached an all-time low of 29. In 1999, 35 miners died on the job.
Power workers injured at Bay Point
TOM QUIMBY,The News Herald
Two power workers were hospitalized Wednesday with second- and third-degree burns after being electrocuted at Bay Point Beach Resort. Greg Clem and Darrell Watson, who are employees of Asplundh, were working for Gulf Power under contract. Jennifer Clem said her husband suffered second-degree burns to his arm, neck and back. He will have to stay at Bay Medical Center for two weeks, she said. Watson suffered a third-degree burn to his arm, Jennifer Clem said. Gulf Power supervisor David King said the utility had contracted with Asplundh to replace power lines at the resort. Clem and Watson were trying to install new lines at the resort's main switching relay near Marlin Circle and Wahoo Road when they were electrocuted. "They were putting an elbow on the conduit (inside the relay housing)," said a Gulf Power employee. "There was a huge flash. I don't know what went wrong. It's dangerous work." The sound of the electrical surge was the equivalent of a shotgun blast going off in their faces, the employee said. The relay's main fuse was blown, knocking out power to parts of the resort. Electricity was restored a few hours later. Two doctors getting ready to tee off on a nearby golf course rushed to help the men. The men's charred clothes were left near the relay. In the past month and a half, Asplundh employees have installed about 10,000 feet of wire and conduit at Bay Point. Gibbons said they expected to be done in about a week. Asplundh, a company that built its name in tree trimming and removal, has been contracting with Gulf Power for about three years. Employees perform many of the same jobs that Gulf Power technicians do. "They do everything now," said a Gulf Power employee. "They do overhead work, trenching, digging, boring - they do all of it."
KCPL worker killed in Olathe identified
Patrick J. Powers, Daily News Reporter
Authorities have identified 35-year-old Mickey Lynn Williams, of Harrisonville, Mo., as the man killed Tuesday afternoon after he allegedly touched a live electrical wire. Williams, a Kansas City Power and Light employee for 10 years, allegedly was working on a power line outside on an electrical pole when he struck the live wire and fell to the ground. He was taken to Overland Park Regional Medical Center, 10500 Quivira Road, where he was pronounced dead. There are two teams investigating the incident to determine the exact cause of death, said Tom Robinson, a KCPL spokesman. One investigation will be conducted by KCPL management and the other by a compliance officer with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. "I imagine that it would be quite some time until they release any information," Robinson said. If OSHA discovers the need to issue KCPL a citation, it must be done within six months of the employee's death, otherwise there is no timeline for its investigation, said Kris Lenoch, an assistant area director for OSHA. "We never have one in reality, because there's so many unexpected things in an investigation," Lenoch said. She added that the investigation of Williams' death isn't unusual -anytime an employee dies on the job, OSHA is called to investigate. "There is an obligation for the employer to call us within an eight-hour time frame," Lenoch said. The last time KCPL had an employee killed on the job was 1990, Robinson said.
Alamosa plumber electrocuted
By ERIN SMITH, The Pueblo Chieftain
ALAMOSA - A plumber died Tuesday morning while working on a house about 4 miles west of Alamosa and just north of U.S. 160. Deputy County Coroner Harry Alejo said he suspected that electrocution was the cause of death for Matthew Medina, 28, a plumber with Husmann Plumbing of Alamosa. An autopsy will be conducted this morning in Colorado Springs at the El Paso County Coroner's office. Medina reportedly was working underneath a home at 5291 Del Viento in the Jonesville Subdivision about 11 a.m. when the accident happened. Medina was taken to the San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Workers in critical condition after truck hits power lines
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Two brothers were in critical condition with second and third degree burns, and a third man in fair condition early Monday morning after their truck hit power lines as they worked on a construction project. The brothers -- one of which suffered second to third degree burns on 50 percent of his body and the other on 30 to 40 percent -- were in the burn intensive care unit at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Adelaida De La Cerda said. The accident happened shortly after 4 a.m. as a concrete pumping crew was working on the Alameda Corridor rail project, which aims to link the harbor area to downtown, Los Angeles City Fire spokesman Brian Humphrey said. As their truck swiveled, the "boom" -- a part of the truck that extends to pump and transport the concrete -- came in contact with both 34,500 volt and 4,800 volt power lines, he said. "The victims were leaning against a metal fence when the fence became energized causing them to be shocked and clothing to catch fire," Humphrey said. A 56-year old man, who was operating the boom truck, suffered minor burns to elbows and back. He was in fair condition, Humphrey said. A fourth victim received minor burns to his hands when workers tried to put out the flames, he said. All four, whose names were not released, were transported to the hospital. As a result of the incident, electricity was lost in parts of the mostly industrial area of south-central Los Angeles, said Department of Water and Power spokeswoman MaryAnne Pierson. Workers arrived at the scene and "de-energized lines," which is routine in incident-related cases. "But the initial outage was caused by the boom going into the lines," she said. Pierson was not sure how many customers were affected or when power would be restored.
Lineman stable after receiving 7,200-volt shock
By John J. Archibald, of the Northwestern
WINCHESTER A Wisconsin Electric Power Company lineman is in stable condition and headed to a Madison hospital after 7,200 volts shocked him on a town of Winchester line. The accident occurred about 1:30 p.m. Friday on Sauby Road just south of the Meyer Lane intersection. Linemen with bucket trucks had worked to restore power lost in Monday nights storm when the man touched a conductor. A resident of the area, Vernadine Knaack said her husband, Charles, saw the accident scene. They were bringing him (the lineman) down in the bucket and he was slumped over the bucket, she said. A ThedaStar helicopter landed in an oat field and flew the lineman to Theda Clark Medical Center, where he was listed as stable, said Chris Iglar, Wisconsin Electric spokesman. Since then, hes been transferred to University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, Iglar said. A Wisconsin Electric Power Company man who didnt identify himself said repairs at the site had closed for the rest of the day after the accident. The location is a few miles west of the intersections of highways 110 and 150, about 12 miles northwest of Oshkosh city limits.
Virco employee in electrical incident
By SAMANTHA HUSEAS, Log Cabin Staff Writer
Thursday, June 14, 2001
A Virco Mfg. Corp. employee remained hospitalized Wednesday in fair condition after an electrical shock incident Tuesday night at the Virco Warehouse. David Johnson "received an electrical shock while attempting to charge a forklift battery" according to Glen Parish, Virco vice-president and Conway division general manager. Parish said he did not know a great deal about the incident but said "we're investigating it right now." He added everything possible will be done to prevent a similar accident in the future. Johnson was transported to Conway Regional Medical Center following the accident and remains there. According to Conway Fire Department incident reports, firefighters were dispatched to the warehouse at 10:07 a.m. Tuesday.
Man loses arms, but inspires many
By Carolyne Park, Staff Writer
Jesse Sullivan of Dayton, Tenn., may have lost both his arms, but that has not kept him from touching the hearts of many. Five weeks ago Mr. Sullivan, 54, was badly injured when 7,200 volts of electricity passed through his body. Severe tissue damage caused him to have his arms amputated. But family members, doctors and hospital staff said he has remained upbeat and positive, and has been an inspiration to all. Mr. Sullivan said he is just glad to be alive. "I just feel grateful that God spared me," he said. "It should have gone straight through my heart and killed me. I got more left than I ever lost." The accident happened the afternoon of May 9. Mr. Sullivan was working as a lineman for the Electric Power Board in Rhea County. The last thing he remembers before the accident was being in a lineman's bucket on Spence Cemetary Road, Mr. Sullivan said. He had been on the job for 23 years and the work was routine. "I don't remember a thing that happened in the bucket," Mr. Sullivan said. When he awoke his co-workers had pulled him out. "The fella I've worked with for years and years was holding me and telling me not to leave," Mr. Sullivan said. From Rhea County Hospital he was transferred to the burn unit at Erlanger hospital and remained semiconscious for 15 days. Carolyn, his wife of 17 years, has stayed with him throughout the ordeal. She said the first days were the hardest. "For the first five days I thought he would die," she said. Dr. Lesley Wong is the medical director of Erlanger's burn unit and has been treating Mr. Sullivan since he arrived. Electrical burn patients usually have organ damage, but Mr. Sullivan did not, she said. "He's the worst that I've seen in terms of tissue loss," Dr. Wong said, but added "he is almost miraculously lucky that nothing else happened." As far as they know, Mr. Sullivan's heart did not miss a beat, Dr. Wong said. Mr. Sullivan has had seven surgeries and is undergoing physical therapy to help him adapt, Dr. Wong said. In the next week or so he is expected to fly to Chicago to be fitted for specially-designed prosthetic arms. Even with everything he has been through, Mr. Sullivan has remained upbeat, Dr. Wong said. "He's unbelievable," she said. "His attitude is just a tribute to humanity." Tammy Berens, a registered nurse in the burn unit, agrees. "He has been an inspiration to us and so many patients," she said. "He's been amazing, we've all just fallen in love with him. "He told us when he got his prosthetics he would come back and give us all a big hug," she said. Mr. Sullivan speaks highly of those who have cared for him. They're fantastic," he said. "I call them my guardian angels." He attributes his survival to the grace of God. "Most men that take 7200 volts like that are dead," he said. "He left me here for a reason." Mr. Sullivan and his wife have six children and eight grandchildren. Dr. Wong said the strength and support of his family and friends has made treatment easy, and helped in his recovery. Mrs. Sullivan said the accident has not changed her husband. "Jesse is the same man he has always been, but now everybody has the pleasure of meeting him," she said of the many friends the couple have made since the accident. Mr. Sullivan said he and his wife, who he describes as his "rock," plan to take life one day at a time. For now, he is looking forward to getting his prosthetic arms. "I'm going to get to be like Inspector Gadget," he said.
Worker in Critical Condition After Electric Shock
6/15/01 12:16 PM
A 29 year old man is in critical condition after being shocked while trimming trees near Des Peres this morning. The employee worked for Asplundh contracting. He was trimming the trees under contract to Ameren UE. He was shocked when his saw came in contact with a power line. The line carried 72-hundred volts of electricity. Eyewitnesses say the man was screaming from the tree after he was burned. The injured man's co-worker risked injury himself by breaking the power line with his saw. At last report the injured worker was in critical condition at a local hospital.
SPECIAL ALERT: Home Safety!
June 16, 2001
CHICAGO -- A Chicago elementary school teacher was electrocuted while using an electrical trimmer on her lawn when an exposed part of an extension cord touched wet grass, authorities said. Cecelia Castillo, 45, of the 2900 block of West 38th Place was found by her brother at about 8:20 p.m. Thursday in her back yard, said a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner. Castillo was trimming around the hedges in her bare feet when the extension cord she was using hit the wet grass, officials said. The cord had been repaired using electrical tape, but a piece was exposed. Castillo, a mother of two and a 1st-grade teacher at Pullman Elementary School on the Far South Side, was pronounced dead more than two hours later in St. Anthony Hospital. The medical examiner ruled her death an accident.
Power pole falls, injuring 3
Tuesday, June 19, 2001, By Steve Gunn, CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
Three men working for Consumers Energy, including a Grand Haven man, were injured Monday when a pole they were working on in Holton Township fell to the ground. All three men were transported to area hospitals, according to a Muskegon County Sheriff's Department report. One man remained hospitalized, and none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening. The accident occurred around 2 p.m. Monday when the men were building a power line on property along the 3300 block of Dagen Road near Sweeter Road. At least one of the men was apparently on the pole when it fell, but it was not known this morning whether the other two were on the pole or the ground. One of the men injured in the accident was Doug Pellegrom, 35, of 13486 Greenbriar in Grand Haven. He was apparently on the pole when the mishap occurred and fell about 35 feet, according to a spokesman for Hackley Hospital. He was treated and released for minor injuries. Also transported to Hackley Hospital was Conrado Ortiz, 52, of Albion, who was listed in stable condition this morning after being shocked by electricity. A third victim, Eugene Alfaro, 41, of Holland, was treated and released from Mercy Hospital with minor injuries. The nature of his injuries, or what caused them, was not known this morning. Tim Pietryga, a spokesman for Consumers Energy, said the utility would not release information about the victims or what might have caused the pole to fall. It was unclear this morning whether the workers were employees of Consumers or contractors.
Bishopville crane operator electrocuted
By Liz Holland, Somerset Herald
PRINCESS ANNE - A 28-year-old Bishopville man was electrocuted Thursday when a crane he was operating touched an overhead power line on Old Princess Anne-Westover Road. Michael Gray was pronounced dead at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, despite efforts by two nearby homeowners and Princess Anne Volunteer Fire Company paramedics to revive him. Gray, who worked for White's Construction Co. of Willards, was installing new power lines to buildings owned by Eastern Shore Forest Products when the accident happened. Terry Shreaves and Tomeka Murray, who live near the site, said one of Gray's coworkers ran to their homes for help. Both women called 911 and were directed to administer CPR until an ambulance arrived. Shreaves and Murray, along with two men they believed were employees of the construction company, stayed with Gray until paramedics arrived. Neither woman is trained in CPR, but followed instructions from one of the men, Shreaves said. ''Everybody really should learn (CPR),'' she said. Gray apparently had his hands on the controls of the crane when it touched the power line. The crane was on the back of a truck parked just off the road on the side of a field, and Gray was standing outside the vehicle at the time. Shreaves said a jolt of electricity also ignited the truck's tires. The Somerset County Sheriff's Office blocked off the area until Conectiv Power Delivery workers were able to turn off the power so the truck and crane could be removed from the site.
Six burned in battery explosion on central Alberta industrial site
Canadian Press
BLACKFALDS, Alta. (CP) - Six workers were burned, at least two seriously, after an explosion Wednesday at an oil and gas battery site in a remote area of central Alberta. The explosion happened about 11 a.m. while a tank at the site was being serviced, said Cpl. Terry Best of the Red Deer RCMP rural detachment. "There were a group of employees inspecting a tank of some sort," Best said. "There was an electrical short from an extension cord they were using for the trouble light and the electrical short caused an explosion inside the tank. "I believe it was from inside the tank and the employees were blown away from the site of the explosion." The battery, owned by NAL Resources of Calgary, is located about 10 kilometres east of Blackfalds. Such batteries clean and treat oil or gas before it is put into a pipeline. Elaine McFadden, spokeswoman for the David Thompson Regional Health Authority, said all six of the injured were men. The two most seriously hurt were taken to hospitals in Calgary and Edmonton. Jeff McIntosh, a photographer for The Canadian Press, saw one worker being brought into Calgary's Foothills Hospital. "His shoulder and face was really burned and charred," McIntosh said. "It was melted into his flesh. I don't think he was conscious. He was swollen and his face and chest were reddened. He had an oxygen mask on his face. They took him from the helipad and wheeled him directly into the hospital." The man, whose name has not been released, was in serious condition in the hospital's burn unit. The man taken to University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton has been identified as Ron Callan, 37. He was in good condition, said a hospital spokeswoman. Two other workers were in stable condition at Lacombe Hospital, and the other two were in stable condition in the emergency room at Red Deer Regional Hospital. Jonathan Lexier of NAL Resources said the battery had been shut down during the maintenance, so no fumes or leaks got into the environment. "The facility was shut down for scheduled maintenance at the time. It was not processing hydrocarbons. It was immediately secured. At no time were nearby residents or the general public in danger," he said in an interview from Calgary. He said nearest residents were more than half a kilometre away. "Work on the site won't continue until safety inspectors complete their investigation," Lexier added. Investigators from Alberta Human Resources and Employment as well as the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board were at the site to determine what happened. Blackfalds is about 100 kilometres south of Edmonton.
Worker electrocuted at University of Akron
05/17/01
AKRON - An Akron man was electrocuted last night while trying to fix a power failure at the University of Akron. The Summit County medical examiner said Douglas R. Young, 35, was pronounced dead at 7:42 p.m., about 35 minutes after the accident. Tony Barnes, a spokesman for the university, said Young was trying to restore power to the new Student Center being built on campus next to the Gardner Center, the current student center. Barnes said Young, an employee of Thompson Electric Co., was working in a switch gear room at the site when he apparently touched a high voltage line.
A man was found dead in the Mountasia entertainment park in the 2400 block of Premier Street in Plano Wednesday afternoon after a possible electrocution.
Thomas Mayes, 21, had only worked in the maintenance department of the park for three days. He had been repairing a light fixture in an area that held a small body of water. He was found unconscious in the water, and attempts were made to resuscitate him. Despite efforts to revive him, Mayes died at the scene. Police say electrocution was probably the cause of Mayes death, however, Richard Beckard, CEO of Mountasia, said electrocution was one possibility, but they are not completely sure that is what happened. The company is investigating the incident. "We are trying to sort out what happened; this is obviously a tragic thing," Beckard said. Beckard said the company was saddened by this and Mayes' family is in everyone's thoughts. "It's a shock to the organization," he said. "We are certainly concerned. We're most concerned about his family." Mayes was married and had three young children.
Five hurt in blast from live crane
Five workers were injured yesterday when a crane brushed overhead wires at Cordeaux Dam near Picton. The electrical surge caused the crane's front tires to explode, scattering debris over a large area. The driver, 46, who is believed to have suffered heart complications, and his co-worker, 38, were airlifted to Liverpool Hospital. The contractors, were allowed to leave late yesterday. The other workers - two contractors and a Sydney Catchment Authority employee - were taken to Liverpool Hospital with shrapnel injuries and later released. NRMA Careflight executive director Mr Ian Badham said the crane became "alive" when its jib came close to 33,000-volt power lines at the dam. "While the crane apparently did not touch the lines, electricity arced from the high tension supply to the crane," he said. Ambulance spokesman Mr Jeff Woods said the men were extremely lucky, considering the high voltage of the wires and the widespread damage caused by the blast. A Sydney Catchment Authority spokesman said the dam and nearby picnic area was closed to the public yesterday while WorkCover officers investigated. The authority would also conduct its own investigation. The spokesman said the popular picnic area at Cordeaux Dam had later been reopened.
