Selected Electrical Incidents and Occurrences in Canada
First Quarter - January to March, 2008
Date Program Location Incident Description
Fatalities:
There were no fatalities of an electrical nature reported to the Ministry of Labour for the first quarter of 2008.
Critical Injuries:
January 24th Industrial Ottawa Worker in electrical room bent over to vacuum his mop. As he
bent over, his rear end pushed against the casing of a
transformer. An arc happened inside the transformer, the
worker received burn injuries to a large portion of his back, hospitalized.
Non-Critical Injuries:
January 14th Industrial Stoney Creek Worker replaced blown fuse in box, switched breaker back
on. Box arced, worker received burns to back of left hand and
lower forearm.
January 14th Industrial Ottawa Worker pulling new caable into panel, flash occurred. Worker
received burns to face, hands and head, taken to hospital.
January 17th Industrial Hawkesbury Worker received a shock from operating a grinding machine.
Operating voltage of grinder not given.
January 23rd Construction Tiverton Worker felt a tingle while removing a smoke detector unit,
and again while replacing it. Circuit was energized, worker
not wearing any PPE.
January 28th Construction Waterloo Worker was separating neutral and phase conductors, wires
were de-energized as part of job. Worker felt a shock, fell to
ground, taken to hospital for observation. There was an
energized line above the lines, suspect induced current from
this line to the lines being worked on.
January 28th Industrial Tilbury Maintenance worker working on a panel, received a shock.
Worker taken to hospital for observation, voltage of panel not
given.
January 28th Industrial Ottawa Worker received electrical shock from power bar.
January 31st Industrial Kitchener Worker received a shock from a touchpad entry lock. Worker
had high heart rate, taken to hospital.
January 31st Construction Woodstock. Worker using metal fishtape to pull wires through conduit. As
worker was pulling the tape, the hook went into an energized
120 volt cable. Current passed through worker’s body from
arm to arm across the chest. Worker could not release his hold
until another worker turned off the breaker at the panel.
Worker taken to hospital for observation then released.
February 4th Construction Tiverton Welder received a shock from his arc welding equipment.
The “stinger” inadvertently touched part of the scaffold the
worker was standing on while worker was in contact with
scaffold railing and the pipe being worked on. Voltage was
about 60 volts DC.
February 4th Industrial Guelph Worker received an electrical shock from a coffee maker.
February 5th Industrial Cambridge Worker doing testing in a lab, received an electrical shock,
worker has two burn marks on right hand. Equipment voltage
not given.
February 7th Industrial Vaughan Worker using compactor, received an electrical shock to
left hand. Worker taken to hospital.
February 11th Industrial Kenora Worker doing repairs to refrigeration unit. Worker in crawl
space, received electrical shock from equipment.
February 20th Construction Toronto Worker received an electrical shock while trying to reset a
breaker. Breaker voltage not given.
February 21st Industrial Oakville Worker received an electrical shock while drilling through a
wall. Drilled into 120 volt cable.
February 21st Industrial London Worker taking pictures of hole in floor in his office. As he
was backing up to take pictures, worker backed into live
exposed wires behind the drywall. Received 220 volt shock,
has tingling sensation in hands.
February 29th Industrial Mississauga Electrical worker was replacing a door on a switchboard.
Board blew up, worker received burns to left hand.
February 29th Industrial Belleville Worker doing work on outside 120 volt cable, received a
shock. Fell off ladder, taken to hospital by ambulance.
March 7th Industrial Markham Electrician put a screwdriver into a 600 volt panel, it arced.
He received burns to face, arm and hands.
March 13th Construction Toronto Worker received a shock from a cable. Cable was supposed
to be de-energized.
VERIFY – part of a complete lockout procedure.
March 17th Construction Burlington Worker doing work in 110 volt panel, made contact. Worker
given medical attention.
March 20th Construction Kingston Worker used a pry bar to move an electrical box on the floor.
Box shorted, box became energized, worker was thrown
back about 10 feet.
March 22nd Industrial Sudbury Worker touched material hanging from an outlet. Felt electric
shock through fingers and legs. Taken to hospital for
observation overnight then released.
March 25th Industrial Winchester Worker received an electrical shock while holding a portable
bandsaw.
March 31st Industrial Tiverton Worker felt a tingle in his hand/wrist area. Voltage ranged
4.4 to 4.8 VDC. Details of equipment involved not given.
Powerline Contacts – No Injuries:
January 2nd Construction Oakville Worker was drilling hole in basement wall, hit 240 volt cable.
January 8th Construction Niagara Falls Workers doing directional boring, hit 8 kV buried cable.
January 10th Construction Ajax Worker cutting concrete slab, cut through electrical cable.
Voltage of cable not given.
January 17th Construction Sundridge Excavator contacted overhead lines, took down several poles.
January 22nd Industrial Hamilton Snowplow had box raised, took out overhead lines and a pole.
January 22nd Industrial Woolwich Event classified as powerline contact, no details of event were
Township given.
January 31st Construction Toronto Excavating for water line, hit buried cable. Cable voltage not
given.
January 31st Construction St. Catharines Contact made with buried 240 volt cable, no details given of
equipment involved.
February 4th Construction Hamilton Worker was removing light fixtures in an area that had been
locked out by another person. Worker’s tool contacted an
energized wire. No injuries reported.
1. Verify – part of a complete lockout procedure.
2. For 347 volt lighting circuits, must turn off
ALL THREE breakers (one per phase) to ensure
circuit is de-energized.
February 8th Construction Hamilton Contact made with 13 kV overhead line. Equipment involved
not specified.
February 8th Construction Toronto Event classified as powerline contact, no other details given.
February 12th Construction Sudbury Event classified as powerline contact, no other details given.
February 12th Construction Oakville Loader hit a powerline. No information given on line voltage
or whether it was buried or overhead.
February 14th Construction Ajax Event classified as powerline contact., no other details given.
February 14th Industrial Burlington Event classified as powerline contact, no other details given.
February 25th Construction Vaughan Crane hit 16 kV overhead line.
February 25th Construction Brampton Excavator hit overhead power line.
February 26th Industrial Hamilton Crew upgrading power line, part of 13 kV line fell.
February 28th Industrial Tiverton Heavy cart was pushed over an extension cord. Cart
wheel cut into cord, arc happened.
February 28th Mining Timmins Contact made with power cable, no other details given.
March 7th Construction Southampton Excavator dug up 240 volt cable. No locates.
March 11th Construction Cambridge Excavator in dump truck, hit 16 kV overhead line.
March 28th Construction Thunder Bay Contractor clearing line of vegetation, part of tree hit
14.4 kV power line.
March 28th Construction Toronto Excavator cut a 27.6 kV buried cable. Drawings and the
locate showed cable to be about 7 metres away.
Electrical Equipment – No Injuries:
February 27th Mining Sudbury Overhead crane traveling along its aisle, hit a suspended light
fixture. No reason given why fixture was positioned so low.
DATA SUMMARY - First Quarter
Fatals: Criticals: Non-criticals: Powerline Electrical
Contacts: Equipment:
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…..
Nothing was sufficiently off the wall to be included here this quarter. Stay tuned though.
Information taken from Ontario Ministry of Labour MIS database
Report prepared: July 22, 2008
Assembled by: Mike Reiser, P. Eng.,
Engineer,
PSS-Kitchener District
E-Mail: mike.reiser@mol.gov.on.ca
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