Tag Archives: arc flash

Worker dies in a flash fire. Employer failed to provide Flame Resistant Clothing

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Ringgold, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited natural gas producer and operator J.R. Resources with eight health and safety violations at its Ringgold gas well site. OSHA began the August 2012 inspection after a worker, who was not provided or required to wear flame-resistant clothing, died from injuries sustained during a flash fire.

Of the seven serious violations cited some include failing to require and provide flame-resistant clothing be worn when working around natural gas; failure to provide fall protection from stairs on brine tanks; failure to provide safety training and a written hazard communication program/plan; and failing to properly label tanks and prevent workers from riding in the bucket of a backhoe. The employer was also cited for utilizing an electric pump in the presence of flammable materials.

A serious citation is issued when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard.

One other violation that was cited was for failing to report the fatality to OSHA within eight hours, as required by law.

“Employers are responsible for ensuring a safe working environment, and that includes finding and fixing hazards associated with the workplace,” said Theresa A. Naim, director of the OSHA Erie Area Office. “OSHA will continue to hold employers responsible when they fail to protect their workers.”

Proposed penalties total $22,400.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742).

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

Two workers critically burned in electrical explosion

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While working in a commercial warehouse in San Jose, two men were critically injured when an electrical panel exploded. According to the local fire captain, fire crews responded to a reported fire and explosion around 9 a.m. Three workers has been working on an electrical unit in the back of a warehouse when the unit suddenly exploded causing a fire to breakout. In the initial blast, one worker received critical burns, and a second worker received serious burns to his face and hands. Both men were rushed to a burn center.

It is unknown at the time of this writing if the workers had on proper Arc Flash safety clothing, face shields, gloves or insulated equipment which is required by OSHA standards as well as Safety Training and safety practices that need to be in place prior to working with high voltage electricity.

Drilling Firm Fined by OSHA for Safety Hazards at Texas Site

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An Oklahoma-based horizontal drilling company faces up to $55,000 in penalties for safety violations at a drilling site in Jacksboro, Texas, federal officials say.

O.S.H.A. cited Horizontal Well Drillers with three repeat and one serious safety violation for exposing workers to hazards. OSHA’s Fort Worth Area Office conducted an investigation in response to a complaint alleging unsafe working conditions. Proposed penalties total $55,500.

These repeated violations include failing to provide an auxiliary escape line, ensure all guardrails are installed to prevent falls of more than 4 feet and ensure the usage of personal protective equipment such as flame-resistant clothing in the event of an arc flash fire.

(A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.)

Serious violations involve a failure to ground the shale shaker trailer and when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

Horizontal Well Drillers, headquartered in Purcell, Oklahoma, is an oil and gas drilling company that employs about 450 workers. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s Fort Worth area director or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

SCG&E Arc Flash Event

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An Arc Flash is a catastrophic event when in the presence of an unprotected human body. In the following photographs you can see the damage that was absorbed by the 40 Cal/cm2 Arc Flash Suit and Hood a worker was wearing while working on a 1200 Amp Breaker. The protective suit and hood saved his life.

Even though the suit and hood received massive damage and melting; it is designed to withstand the heat and to not add further trauma to the victim by continuing to burn and melt into the human skin. Which is exactly what happens when “street clothing” is exposed to an Arc Flash event. This worker spent one week in a hospital; but would surely have received fatal injuries if he was not wearing protective clothing during this particular Arc Flash Event.

You will also notice the severe burns and damage to the surrounding areas of the workers environment.

Read the article SCG&E Arc Flash Event (PDF)

 

OSHA Cited a Steel Fabricator $132,000 in fines

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A Steel plant in Maine was cited by OSHA for alleged willful violations of electric shock, arc flash, crushing and laceration hazards.

“The sizable fines proposed in this case reflect the severity and recurring nature of a number of these hazards,” said William Coffin, OSHA’s area director for Maine. “For the safety of its workers, this employer must take effective and expeditious action to eliminate these conditions and prevent further recurrences.” The inspection was conducted under OSHA’s Site-Specific Targeting Program, which directs inspections toward workplaces with a rate of workdays lost due to injuries and illnesses that is higher than the industry average.

According to the agency, maintenance employees were not supplied with and did not use PPE to protect themselves against the hazards of electric shock, arc flash, and arc blast events while performing diagnostic work on electrical equipment, which resulted in one willful citation with a $70,000 fine.

Failure to correct other work site errors resulted in added fines.

Any doubts that your company is compliant? Your employees safe?

The 2012 Edition of the NFPA 70E recommendations are in print and take effect January 1, 2012.

Do you and your employees know all of the changes? Have they been implemented into your Electrical Safety Program? Do you have an Electrical Safety Program? Have you had Electrical Safety Training in the last year?

If the answer to any of those questions is no, then contact Macron Safety today!

Call 916-905-6535 or contact us to be certain you are in compliance.

Arc Flash severely burns electrician

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While installing a switch in a commercial building, an electrician was severely burned when an electric arc flashed off the switch he was installing.

The electrician appeared to have second-degree burns over 40 percent of his body.

The arc flash event set off the fire alarm; when the fired department arrived the electrician was walking around, but had blistering burn wounds on his face, chest and arms. He was transported by ambulance to a hospital’s burn unit.

The building and fire inspectors investigating the incident could not be reached for comment. At the time of this writing the condition of the electrician is unknown.

Any doubts that your company is compliant? Your employees safe?

The 2012 Edition of the NFPA 70E recommendations are in print and take effect January 1, 2012.

Do you and your employees know all of the changes? Have they been implemented into your Electrical Safety Program? Do you have an Electrical Safety Program? Have you had Electrical Safety Training in the last year?

If the answer to any of those questions is no, then contact Macron Safety today!

Call 916-905-6535 or contact us to be certain you are in compliance.

Source: http://norwalk.patch.com/articles/electrician-severely-burned-by-electric-arc

Arc Flash burns man’s hands and face

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SPAIN

During a routine service operation at one of the Vestas company plants located in the district of El Bonillo, an arc flash event caused a fire and burn injuries to a company employee.

The employee, performing a service operation in a control cabinet, suffered burns to hands and face and was rushed to the hospital. According to a reliable source, the employee is home recovering.

The machine was operating in the five-year-old Casa del Aire wind plant in the district of El Bonillo in the south-central province of Albacete, a hot spot for brush and forest fires. The fire brigade extinguished the flames, which also spread to the surrounding vegetation.

The plant developer, Renovalia, declined to comment, saying the full onus for comment fell on Vestas, not only as turbine supplier but also as operations and maintenance provider.

It is unknown at this time if the employee had the proper arc flash training, protective clothing, or procedures in place to prevent an arc flash event.

Electrical Safety New Certifications for Electrical Workers and Supervisors

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Over the past 15 years, industry awareness standards regarding safe work practice requirements contained in NFPA 70E®, Electrical Safety in the Workplace®, has increased significantly along with adherence to those requirements. There are a number of reasons for this trend in electrical safety. The electrical industry has strongly supported safety requirements. One reason is the expansion of the hazards covered in NFPA to address both shock and arc-flash hazards, and proactive initiatives on preventing electrical accidents undertaken by federal and state occupational safety regulators.

NFPA has supported this demand for information through the development of “support products” such as the NFPA 70E Handbook, alliances with industry partners such as IEEE and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and through the creation of safety training programs.

This emphasis on training starts with the employer/ employee relationship established in NFPA 70E guidelines. The employer is responsible for establishing an electrically safe environment through implementing an electrical safety program.

The certifications highlight the importance of the relationship between employees and their supervisors in effecting the electrical safety program. Employees perform tasks that are assigned to them by their supervisors, who may be plant managers, safety managers, facility or company owners, or other people who have direct oversight of employees performing tasks that may expose them to electrical hazards. Offering certifications for individuals at both the supervisor and employee levels bridges the understanding and implementation of NFPA 70E across an organization and promotes a solid employer/employee relationship that is a fundamental element of an effective electrical safety program.

These certifications can be used by employers and employees as a standard that indicates a working knowledge of NFPA 70E and the safe work practice that is required.  Implementing these safe work practices will positively impact electrical safety in the workplace and also negate accidents, law suits and ultimately even prevent a catastrophic event.


Company sued over arc flash injury

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GALVESTON – A worker in Texas received severe burns to his upper body during an on the job incident in 2011.

According to a lawsuit filed against Texas International Terminals Ltd., Tracy Hill was caught in an explosion while he was working on an electrical box at the company’s facilities. Hill was allegedly instructed by an employee of the company to repair several transformers and electrical boxes. Hill states that he was 3 to 6 feet away from the electrical box when he heard a loud pop and saw a bright light and then an explosion.

Hill was knocked to the ground and his upper body was engulfed in fire. Hill had to extinguish himself despite unrelenting pain and shock. Hill claims his recovery “has been slow and arduous”.

Texas International Terminals has been accused of creating a dangerous condition and failing to warn of the condition, directing the complainant to perform work in a dangerous manner, failing to properly maintain its premises and equipment, permitting the area to remain in a dangerous state, failing to de-energize the electrical box prior to the assignment and failing to properly implement lockout/tagout procedures as ordered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Consequently, Tracy Hill is seeking unspecified monetary damages.

Macron Safety offers onsite arc flash safety training at your facility and complete line of Arc Flash Personal Protective Clothing from 5 cal/cm2 to 140 Ballistic cal/cm2.

Do I need to wear protective clothing at all?

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The difference between life and death for an electrician

Even the most experienced, confident, safe and well trained electricians have become the victims of a life ending arc flash event.

An arc flash is never planned or expected but when it does happen it is a catastrophic event that is life changing or unfortunately life ending. No one is prepared for an instantaneous flash that throws them to the ground and engulfs their clothing in fire causing the material to melt into the skin.

The difference between life and death comes down to something as simple as wearing the proper protective clothing. Unlike the 1970’s and 1980’s when protective clothing was heavy, hot, bulky and sometimes made of cotton, today’s protective clothing is light, breathable and absorbs moisture.

If you aren’t sure what type of protection you may need in your work environment contact Macron Safety and we will help you choose the proper clothing for your specific needs and possible electrical exposure.

Macron Safety also offers onsite arc flash safety training at your facility and complete line of Arc Flash Personal Protective Clothing from 5 cal/cm2 to 140 Ballistic cal/cm2.