Quick Start Guide Electric Utilities

SECTION 03: KEY SAFETY MESSAGES

Incidents • Two men were electrocuted and a third seriously burned when one of the men, operating a jackhammer, struck an electric power cable while breaking up a concrete cable vault in the bottom of a trench. The crew was installing a sewer line to a store at the time of the incident. When the jackhammer contacted the cable, there was an explosion, and two coworkers jumped into the trench to help the injured operator. When they touched him, they both suffered severe electrical shocks. A passerby pulled the two badly burned men from the trench. One was pronounced dead at a hospital and the other was admitted in critical condition. Emergency responders could not safely enter the trench to attempt to rescue the fallen jackhammer operator for about three hours until shoring was installed and the power was de-energized. An investigation revealed that the sewer installation crew had not requested underground facilities be located and marked. • A 28-year-old construction worker sustained second- and third-degree burns over 25% of his body when he contacted an energized 7.6 kV underground cable inside a concrete duct with a pneumatic jackhammer while excavating for the installation of a water service line to a commercial building. A crew from the construction company that employed the injured worker notified the state’s one-call system and obtained permission to excavate after the electric utility had located and marked its underground electric facilities. During repair of the leaking water line, it was discovered that a nearby building required an additional water service. A second crew from the same contractor arrived at the site and

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Developing a Public Safety Communications Program