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Selected Electrical Incidents and Occurrences - First Quarter 2009
 

 

Topic - Safety
Subject - Selected Incidents and Occurrences - First Quarter 2009

August 18, 2009
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Selected Electrical Incidents and Occurrences
First Quarter – January to March, 2009

Date                       Program Location                                Incident Description

Fatalities:

*********                           Fatality to non-worker - not included in statistics                          ********


February 7th

-----

Leamington

Person was electrocuted from contact with the energized conductors in a cable operating at 28 kV.  Information is that the person was trying to steal the copper.

 

Critical Injuries:

January 17th

Industrial

Ottawa

Worker was delivering a load of salt, raised box of truck contacted overhead lines.  Worker received a shock as he touched the raised box, lost consciousness and had burns to hand.  A second worker tried to assist, also received a shock and had burns to toes on right foot.  Voltage of overhead lines not given.

 

 

 

 

February 5th

Mining

Hamilton

Driver of dump truck was raising the truck box, made contact with 13 kV overhead line.  Worker received burns and a broken shoulder.  No information given on location of burns or how shoulder was broken.

 

 

 

 

February 25th

Construction

Windsor

Electrical panel exploded while electrician was working inside. Electrician received burns to head, face, forearms and hands. Voltage of panel was not given

                                                .

Non-Critical Injuries:

January 15th

Construction

Strathroy

Worker was installing a new box, made contact with energized cable.  Worker has entry burn on left hand and exit burn on left foot.  Voltage of cable not given.

 

 

 

 

January 16th

Industrial

Bradford

Worker doing work on switch box, arc happened.  Worker received 2nd and 3rd degree burns to hands and possible burns to face.  Box was energized at 600 volts.

 

 

 

 

January 27th

Construction

Caledon

Worker installing light fixture, received a shock.  Worker had minor burn to left pointing finger, voltage of fixture not given.

 

 

 

 

January 29th

Construction

Mississauga

Worker using a “DIG WAND”, hit a buried power line. Worker received a shock, taken to hospital.

 

 

 

 

January 30th

Industrial

MacTier

Worker removing coverplate on electrical outlet, felt a shock

 

 

 

 

February 4th

Construction

Ottawa

Backhoe dug up power cable, operator reported feeling a tingle.  Voltage of cable not given.

 

 

 

 

February 5th

Industrial

Hamilton

Dump truck – raised box – snagged 8 kV cable.  Driver reported feeling a tingle, taken to hospital.

 

 

 

 

February 6th

Industrial

Hamilton

Worker received a shock while trying to remove a plug from an outlet.  One prong was stuck in outlet, worker received the shock as tried to force the plug out.

 

 

 

 

February 8th

Industrial

Toronto

Worker received an electrical shock while plugging in a power adapter.

 

 

 

 

February 10th

Construction

Ottawa

Owner/worker made contact with energized wire, fell about five feet off scaffold to floor.  Voltage of wire not given.

 

 

 

 

February 26th

Construction

Vaughan               

Worker was stripping wire casing, felt a shock.  Voltage of cable not given

 

 

 

 

February 26th

Industrial

Arkona

Electrical apprentice changing ballast, received a 347 volt shock.  Worker fell about 12 feet from ladder, received an injured ankle.

 

 

 

 

February 27th

Construction

Toronto

Doing excavation work around a buried cable, worker received a shock in his arm.  Voltage of cable not given.

 

 

 

 

March 12th

Industrial

Gravenhurst

Worker was changing water line to coffee machine. Received a shock, suspect it was from the adjacent milk shake machine. Stool was wedged behind milk shake machine at the time.

 

 

 

 

March 17th

Industrial

Toronto

Worker felt a shock while he was using an oil filtering machine.

 

 

 

 

March 17th

Construction

Mississauga

Worker was on a ladder doing electrical work, received a shock.  Worker fell off ladder, hit head on floor.

 

 

 

 

March 30th

Industrial

Hamilton

Worker doing maintenance work in 4160 volt switchroom, made contact with 4160 volt horizontal bus bar.  Worker had previously removed a cover plate over the buss bar run, then the worker was climbing a stepladder, placed his left hand on the metal edge of the space where the coverplate used to be. Worker had minor burns to left hand and forearm, laceration to right hand.

Powerline Contacts – No Injuries:

January 3rd

Construction

Toronto

Utility noted a trip of a breaker for a primary line, the investigation found evidence of an electrical contact. Suspect that there was an attempted theft of copper.

 

 

 

 

January 5th

Construction

Municipality

Workers installing ground rods, hit a buried residential not given service.

 

 

 

 

January 6th

Construction

Barrie

Doing directional drilling, hit buried 13.8 kV line

 

 

 

 

January 6th

Industrial

Wellesley Township

Tree being cut down, took out an 8 kV power line as it fell.

 

 

 

 

January 6th

Construction

Toronto

Worker drilled into electrical conduit, line voltage not given.

 

 

 

 

January 7th

Construction

Ottawa

Excavator hit 13 kV powerline, description did not specify if line was buried or overhead.

 

 

 

 

January 7th

Construction

Ottawa

Excavation being made, contacted 13 kV buried cable (different street address from previous entry).

 

 

 

 

January 12th

Construction

Aurora

Dump truck – raised box – voltage of overhead line not given.

 

 

 

 

January14th

Construction

Nanticoke

Worker was in an elevated work platform, backed the platform into a high voltage line.  No injuries to worker, voltage of line not given.

 

 

 

 

January 17th

Industrial

Thunder Bay

Dump truck – raised box – 14.4 kV powerline snagged.

 

 

 

 

January 18th

Construction

Fort Frances

Helicopter being used to sling in a crossarm.  Conductive portion of hoisting cable made contact with energized conductor.  Voltage of conductor not given.

 

 

 

 

January 26th

Industrial

Jarvis

Transport truck pulled into a laneway, broke a hydro pole. Voltage of attached power line not given.

 

 

 

 

January 27th

Construction

Toronto

Crane contacted overhead powerline, voltage of line not given.

 

 

 

 

January 31st

Industrial

Wingham

Dump truck – raised box – 2400 volt line snagged.

 

 

 

 

February 2nd

Construction

Mississauga

Workers installing conduit, drilling equipment hit buried primary line.  Voltage of line not given.

 

 

 

 

February 4th

Construction

Stoney Creek

Worker contacted 8 kV overhead line, details of equipment involved not given.

 

 

 

 

February 5th

Construction

Oakville 

Workers doing excavating, damaged an electrical conduit. Voltage of cable in conduit not given.

 

 

 

 

February 6th

Construction

Mississauga

Hydrovac made contact with buried cable.  Event description said cable was rated for 750 volts.

 

 

 

 

February 10th

Construction

Markham

Boom of excavator contacted overhead power line. Voltage of line not given.

 

 

 

 

February 11th

Construction

Brantford

Backhoe hit overhead lines, voltage not given.

 

 

 

 

February 11th

Construction

Southampton

Contractor dug up 240 volt cable.  No locates

 

 

 

 

February 12th

Industrial

Espanola

Dump truck – raised box – snagged line and broke two poles. Voltage of line not given.

 

 

 

 

February 18th

Industrial

Kenora

Dump truck – raised box – snagged line.  Voltage of line not given.

 

 

 

 

March 2nd

Construction

Oakville

Vehicle pulled down a 240 volt overhead line.  Type of vehicle not given.

 

 

 

 

March 4th

Construction

Toronto

Demolition project, saw contacted 1220 volt cable.

 

 

 

 

March 5th

Industrial

Kapuskasing

Snowplowing operation, plow/sander truck had box raised. Box contacted overhead line, voltage of line not given.

 

 

 

 

March 9th

Mining

Wawa

Grader being used for snow plow operation, plow wing hooked a guy wire for a hydro pole, bringing it down.

 

 

 

 

March 11th

Industrial

Dundas 

Crane being moved, hit 4 kV overhead line.

 

 

 

 

March 12th

Construction

Richmond Hill

Digging operation, dug up 16 kV buried cable.

 

 

 

 

March 13th

Construction

Brampton

Workers doing directional drilling, hit buried 13.8 kV cable. Locates had been done, no word given on how accurate they were.

 

 

 

 

March 17th

Construction

St Cathaarines

Electrical contact with 13.8 kV overhead line, no other details given.

 

 

 

 

March 19th

Construction

Scarborough

Backhoe cut into buried 16 kV cable.  Cable was about 1 foot from the locate marks at the point of contact.

 

 

 

 

March 20th

Industrial

Hamilton

Contact made with 13. kV overhead line, no other details given.

 

 

 

 

March 20th

Construction

Hamilton

Crew loading material into a truck, hit the neutral of an overhead line.

 

 

 

 

March 23rd

Construction

Kanata

Power line struck, no other details given.

 

 

 

 

March 23rd

Construction

Brampton

Boom of Hydrovac truck contacted 4800 volt overhead line.

 

 

 

 

March 25th

Construction

Toronto

Workers removing old cables, cut into wrong cable.  No electrical shock was experienced by the crew.

 

 

 

 

March 26th

Construction

LaSalle

Dump truck – raised box – 27 kV overhead line snagged.

 

 

 

 

March 27th

Construction

Balmerton

Dump truck – raised box – hydro pole and wires taken out.

 

 

 

 

March 30th

Construction

Welland

Workers were installing a pole, dug up a primary cable.

 

 

 

 

March 31st

Construction

Ottawa  

Worker drilled into a concrete slab, hit an electrical conduit. Slab had been scanned from top and bottom before drilling started.

Electrical Equipment – No Injuries:

January 16th

Industrial

London 

Worker hooking up jumper cables to vehicle, splashed in face with acid when battery exploded. No reported injuries from splash with acid.

 

 

 

 

February 17th

Construction

Etobicoke

Workers doing work on panel, buss bar fell through a slot and went into the energized part of the panel.  Arc happened, no reported injuries to workers.

 

DATA SUMMARY - First Quarter

                                Fatals:                    Criticals: Non-criticals:                           Powerline                 Electrical
                                                                                                                                                   Contacts:                 Equipment:

2009                             0                                3                               17                                          41                              2
2008                             0                                1                               26                                          24                              1
2007                             1                                9                               21                                          38                              0
2006                             1                                5                               25                                          23                              0

2005                             0                                1                               15                                          25                              0
2004                             1                                6                               25                                          19                              0
2003                             0                                5                               14                                          22                              0
2002                             0                                5                               18                                            8                              0
2001                             1                                7                               21                                          11                              1

2000                             1                              12                               10                                          16                              3
1999                             1                                7                               16                                          13                              1
1998                             1                                9                                 7                                            9                              0

 

And Finally…..

March 11th

Industrial

Windsor

Student in drama acting exercise, ran into wall face first. Suffered broken nose and fractured knee.  Report did not specify which cartoon character the student was trying to emulate at the time.

 

Information taken from Ontario Ministry of Labour MIS database
Report prepared: July 03, 2009

Assembled by:     Michael Reiser, P.Eng.,
                                Engineer
                                PSS – Kitchener District

                                Phone:    (519) 883-5682
                                FAX:      (519) 883-5694
                                E-Mail:   mike.reiser@ontario.ca

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