OSHA Arc Flash Violation
December 21, 2017 – An electrician sustained serious burns from an arc flash while installing and testing breakers at a manufacturing plant in Fargo, ND.
AP states: OSHA Area Director Eric Brooks told KFGO radio that George Gouniks was burned by an arc flash while he was installing and testing breakers at the Integrity Windows plant.
Brooks said the initial report showed that Gouniks sustained burns to his arms, neck, elbow and upper torso. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
January 21, 2017 – OSHA launches inspection into incident in which one worker died and another was hospitalized in critical condition from arc flash at a construction site in Amarillo, TX.
The report states: At about 1:00 p.m. on January 21, 2017, Employees #1 and #2 were performing electrical work inside an electrical room at a facility. They experienced an electrical arc flash that resulted in an explosion and fire. The employees were taken to Northwest hospital in Amarillo in critical condition for treatment and transferred to University Medical Center (UMC) burn center in Lubbock. On January 22, 2017, Employee #1 died.
May 2 – Region 4 – OSHA cites Georgia Power, wiring subcontractor after arc flash severely burns worker at the Plant Bowen facility; proposes $122K in fines.
The report states: U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors opened an investigation on Oct. 27, 2015, after learning an electric arc flash injured a worker at Georgia Power’s Plant Bowen generating facility. When the arc flash occurred, a 48-year-old electrician was working on an electrical cabinet that was still powered. The ABB Inc. employee suffered second and third-degree burns to his hands, arms and torso.
Georgia Power received two repeated, five serious and two other-than-serious safety citations. The repeated violations relate to the employer failing to ensure the electrical cabinet was not powered down before allowing work to begin and not developing specific steps to power down machinery and prevent starting up during maintenance and servicing. Georgia Power was previously cited for similar violations in 2014 at this facility.
The company’s serious arc flash violation relate to its failure to:
- Ensure proper grounding of electrical equipment.
- Inform other employers of their electrical lockout program.
- Provide adequate procedures for electrical energy isolation.
ABB Inc. was issued two serious citations. The serious violations relate to the employer’s failure to coordinate with other employers on the specific requirements of removing power from equipment before maintenance and servicing and exposing workers to electrical hazards.