Electrical and Arc Flash Safety » Arc Flash Fines

Three California men injured in electrical explosion

Hugh Hoagland — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:38:24 +0000

Three men were injured after a transformer exploded while they were replacing an above ground power vault. One of the injured is an employee of Anaheim Public Utilities and the other two were under contract with the City of Anaheim. All three were hospitalized. Police report that their clothing caught fire in the explosion. Oct. 26, 2011

Click here to read more about California electrical explosion

North London Employee Severely Burned in Arc Flash Explosion. Company Fined £10,000

Hugh Hoagland — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 14:18:23 +0000

The employee was working as a subcontractor at a construction site when the incident occurred. The explosion was caused when a main electrical supply cable to the site was cut during its removal. A 415 volt three-phase temporary supply had been provided to the site. The Court heard that the worker approached his supervisor to explain that the electrical cable would need to be removed before work ensued. The Health Safety Executive investigaion revealed that the company did little to determine if the cable was live. The workers then proceeded with removing the cable under the assumption that it must have been an old cable from a pre-existing installation.

The worker climbed a ladder and attempted to move the cable with a hammer and chisel. An arc flash occurred and the worker was taken to the hospital with burns over 30% of his body. He underwent numerous skin grafts and is expected to take two years for him to recover. The company pleaded guilty to breaching a Section of the Health and Safety at Work Act and was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,183.

Click here to read more about the Arc Flash Incident

Rehabilitation of Apprentice Lineman Badly Burned in 2010 Maine Electric Incident

Hugh Hoagland — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:04:56 +0000

A 25 year-old apprentice lineman badly burned over 50% of his body in an electrical incident in October 2010 is continuing his rehabilitation. The lineman was operating a scissor lift at an electrical substation when electricity arced and touched the corner of the lift. The electricity traveled to the ground and back, resulting in severe burns. Without electrical safety equipment, it is speculated that the incident would have resulted in his death. OSHA has investigated and the company is conducting refresher safety training. Arc flashes resulting in >25% body burns usually means the clothing ignited or the arc tracked on the sweat on the body. If clothing ignition played a role, arc rated daily wear could have prevented most or all of the burns. No word of OSHA fines at this point but this is likely an arc flash. Most utilities are using arc rated daily wear. If it is provided, wear it. It makes all the difference in the world.

Click here to read more about Lineman’s Rehabilitation Following Electrical Incident

OSHA Fines $10K+ for Arc Flash Incident in SC

Hugh Hoagland — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 16:43:35 +0000

OSHA has issued 5 citations and levied $10,875 in fines on a Graniteville, SC company following an investigation of an arc flash incident that resulted in second degree burns to three employees. The accident occurred when an employee was installing new wire conduit and breakers into a 480 V breaker box. The panel did not have a cover in place and was live as it supplied power to a manufacturing line.

OSHA citations included failing to provide insulated tools, proper PPE not provided, employee not qualified to perform the electrical work, electrical safe work practices and procedures not provided and proper training not provided for the involved employees. OSHA has offered an interpretation letter that following NFPA 70E puts companies in compliance with OSHA electrical safety regulations.

Click here to read the OSHA Interpretation Letter pointing to NFPA 70E for compliance options for OSHA electrical safety compliance.

Click here to read more about the OSHA fines for SC arc flash accident

Snyder, OK Arc Flash Fatality of Electrical Contractor in Martin Marietta Mine.

Hugh Hoagland — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 21:22:42 +0000

On October 10, 2010 three electrical contractor employees working at the Martin Marietta Mine in Snyder, OK were arc flashed installing ground fault indicator lights on a live 800 AMP breaker. From the MSHA report, all three workers were transported to the hospital and one died two days later. Most of the arc flash fatalities are from ignition of clothing in the arc flash. Companies should include the need for tested, arc rated clothing in the arc flash training portion of their electrical safety training. Written electrical safety programs require hazard assessment including arc flash hazards.

MSHA requires following NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. Most of these types of injuries and fatalities are avoidable.

Click here to see the MSHA incident report of an Arc Flash Fatality

Aberdeen Scotland Electrical Explosion (Arc Flash) Results in £9,000 Fine

Hugh Hoagland — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 19:22:40 +0000

" Building firm fined after electrical blast By Catriona Webster Published: 03/09/2010 An Aberdeen building firm was fined £9,000 yesterday after an employee was badly burned in an electrical explosion. Sheriff James Tierney ordered the owners of Graeme W. Cheyne (Builders) Ltd to pay an additional £4,000 in compensation to joiner George Forbes at a hearing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. The company, of Sugarhouse Lane, previously admitted health and safety failures that led to Mr Forbes, 62, handling a redundant electricity power supply device known as a fuse cut-out that was still live. Mr Forbes was working on a construction site at 238-242 Holburn Street on November 11, 2008, when he tried to remove the fuse cut-out to put up some plasterboard. The cut-out was connected to a 415-volt cable and Mr Forbes was badly burned when he touched it. He was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where he stayed for nine days and was treated for burns to his hand and face. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation revealed that the cable was twisted, causing a short-circuit that created enough energy to melt the cable and create a small explosion. Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1900622?UserKey=#ixzz10ZRkPX1K"

PG&E Fined $176,000 over Utility Worker’s Fatal Electrocution

Hugh Hoagland — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 15:49:02 +0000

The California Department of Industrial Relations has levied a $176,000 fine on Pacific Gas & Electric following a review of a Cal-OSHA report that alleged lax enforcement of safety rules to protect employees following the electrocution death of a PG&E utility worker. The worker was upgrading a transformer in a vault that contained 12,000-volt power lines. The worker was unable to be revived and died at the scene of the accident.

Click here to read more about the accident at PG&E

The USPS Electrical Safety Problem Began in Kansas City, MO

Hugh Hoagland — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 02:51:04 +0000

"In addition to proposing a $191,000 penalty for the Kansas City, Kan., facility, the Labor Department’s complaint asks the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to order the Postal Service to correct electrical violations at all of its facilities nationwide. The Postal Service responded that it has been working since January to correct many of the electrical safety issues. “The plan provides for electrical risk assessments, training, personal protective equipment, enhanced safe electrical work practices and insulated tools,” the Postal Service said in a prepared statement. The response already has included 123,000 hours of training for more than 20,000 maintenance employees and continuing distribution of more than $2 million in protective gear such as safety glasses, face shields and flame-resistant gloves, lab coats and coveralls. The Labor Department said the complaint “marks the first time OSHA has sought enterprise-wide relief as a remedy.”

DOE Imposes $1.2 Million “reduction of fees” on Bechtel in Arc Flash Event at Oak Ridge Lab

Hugh Hoagland — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:39:46 +0000

DOE is one of the toughest on electrical safety. Bechtel has a good rep too. Shows improvements can happen anywhere and that programs can slip when training slips.

Click here to read the story about an arc flash in the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Arc Flash Citation $22K by OH&S in Saskatoon. CSA Z462 could have prevented the incident.

Hugh Hoagland — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:26:12 +0000

Wearing the right PPE is critical but other provisions to prevent arc flashes and lower incident energies in incidents are part of CSA Z462 and NFPA 70E. These provisions prevent many of the incidents in the workplace.

Click here to read the story of the arc flash fine in Canada at OH&S Insider.