Electrical and Arc Flash Safety » Underground Network Incidents

Construction Employee Burned in Electrical Explosion in England

Hugh Hoagland — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:43:03 +0000

A construction company in England was fined when an employee was seriously injured while using a drill to beak-up concrete to erect a sign. The drill pierced a 415 volt underground cable, resulting in an electrical explosion and serious burns to the employee.

Click here to read the Solicitor’s article dated 3/30/12.

OSHA Increases Inspections of Wind Turbines in 2012

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:59:47 +0000

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.

HSE Fines UK Firm £10,000 Following Electrical Accident

Hugh Hoagland — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:45:02 +0000

January, 2012: A UK investment firm has been fined after employees were injured in an electrical accident. The two employees cut through a 1kV electrical cable while trying to locate a water leak. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the firm had not assessed the risks and failed to provide a safe work environment. The company pleaded guilty and was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £4,420 costs. The owner of the firm was also prosecuted and fined £2,000 with £1,000 of costs.

Click here to read entire article

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

Jamestown NY Lineman Critically Injured in Arc Flash Explosion

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

A Jamestown, NY Utility worker was critically injured while working in an underground vault to restore a power outage. He was badly burned during an arc flash, receiving burns to his hands, face and upper chest. He was transported to the hospital and listed in critical condition.

Click here to read more about Arc Flash Incident

Two New Zealand Workers Injured in Arc Flash

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

The two men, who were working for a geotechnical drilling company, where using a penetrometer to test soil density when the penetrometer came into contact with a 6600-volt cable what was buried about 60cm below the surface. One employee suffered burns to his legs and up his front and the more seriously injured man received burns to ~10% of his body. The Department of Labour is investigating.

Click here to read more about Arc Flash incident in New Zealand

Mine Explosion in Romania Kills 5

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:13:39 +0000

Four electricians and an engineer were working on an electrical installation in an underground mine when an explosion resulted in their death. The cause of death is still under investigation, but may have been related to methane.

From my experience this is VERY likely to have been an arc flash but could have ignited methane.

Click here to read more about Romanian Mine Explosion

Baltimore manhole explosion injures two construction workers

Hugh Hoagland — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 02:40:50 +0000

Two Baltimore construction workers were burned in an underground explosion and electrical fire while working in a manhole. They both sustained first and second degree burns. One was taken to a trauma center and the other to a burn center. The cause of the arc flash is under investigation.

Click here to read more about arc flash in manhole

Arc Flash Explosion of 11Kv Cable Leaves Two Workers Hospitalized in NZ

Hugh Hoagland — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 21:32:01 +0000

Two West Auckland workers were hospitalized with burns sustained when the 11Kv underground cable they were working on exploded. Fortunately, although the workers were both hospitalized for treatment of burns, the injuries are not considered life-threatening. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Click here to read more about the New Zealand Arc Flash

Oregon State University Temporarily Closed Following Arc Flash Incident

Hugh Hoagland — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:41:22 +0000

According to the report, an arc flash, that occurred in a steam tunnel on the OSU campus, delivered a 1,000 degree heat burst that sparked a fire in the tunnels which resulted in melting of cables and fiber optics systems within the tunnel. At least 26 buildings experienced problems with electrical power, phone service and/or computer connections. Full restoration is expected to take until the end of the fall term.

Click here to read more about the OSU arc-flash incident