Selected Electrical Incidents and Occurrences

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