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 [...]

Attempting to repair an external flood light, a worker was shocked, burned, and suffered memory loss after touching a live junctionn box.  The contractor and managing director of the firm hired to perform the work were fined for not having protected the worker’s health and safety. Click here to read the article from 3/9/12.

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.

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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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”

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.  [...]