From June 2011 – February 2012, 24 employees and contract workers of the Kerala State Electricity Board have died in electrical accidents.  Several died in an explosion in June, 2011, but the remainder lost their lives in various sections across the state.  The Electricity Minister admitted that the number of deaths has been increasing during [...]

In 2012, OSHA will be targeting the wind-energy industry with one of its National Emphasis Programs (NEP) due to several arc-flash events associated with wind turbines.  OSHA reports 32 arc-flash accident investigations that occurred in 2009 at wind farms. Click here to read the article dated 3/13/12.

Contacting high voltage power lines was the probable cause of the fire that destroyed a truck that was dumping a trailer load of sand at American Water Company in Pekin, IL.  The driver was not aware of the contact, but only heard several pops as the tires blew.  He leaped from the cab and was [...]

A Vermont Electric Cooperative employee was killed when he fell & became entagled in electrical lines while performing routine maintenance. Click here to read the article from 3/21/12.

Two roofing contractors from Clio, MI, were shocked when the ladder that they were struggling to put up next to a building to climb to the top of a two-story building drifted backwards and struck the power line.  One man was electrocuted, and the other was shocked, but conscious, and alert on the ground.  OSHA requries the use of [...]

An Electric Department Lineman from Fairhope, AL, was electrocuted last December when multiple old wooden braces broke and live electrical wires fell onto  his back.  The lineman survived the accident and is still recovering.  The investigation indicates some possible factors:  insufficient original brace strength, inability to compute load-bearing potential of braces, degradation of braces over time, [...]

A Tasmanian worker controlling the boom from which concrete flows was burned when another portion of the pumping truck came into contact with high-voltage power lines carrying 11,000 volts.  He sufferd entry and exit burns from the shock. Click here to read the article from 3/1/12.

Two construction workers were injured at an East Texas Power Plant in Nacogdoches on 1/31 when 440 volts arced, causing an explosion.  They had severe electrical burns and were listed in critical condition.  OSHA 1910.269 and 1926 along with NESC cover this type of work in a utility setting. Click here to read more about this electrical [...]

In the US we frequently see a cartoon of a little boy urinating on something in the back window of a truck. Thought is might sound a bit strange. This kind of behavior can lead to death in a utility substation. A metal thief was seriously injured during an electrical substation explosion.   An accomplice indicated [...]

Several workers sustained injuries while assisting a mobile crane hook-up equipment near overhead power lines.  Both were knocked to the ground following a bright flash of light.  One is in very serious condition, while the other suffered burns. Click here to read the report from BC on 2/17/12.