Selected Electrical Incidents and Occurrences

Third Quarter – July to September, 2004

 

Date &         Program       Location       Accident Description

MIS ID #

 

Accidents - Fatal:

 

July 27th                  Industrial               Espanola                Electrician was killed while running tests on a 600 V electrical

1055353                                                                                  motor.  Area was an established testing area, the rubber boot

for the alligator clips was in good condition.  Electrical path

was from hand to hand through the body.

 

September 4th        Industrial               Bluewater              Worker was spreading manure on a farm, spreader arm

1059623                                                                                  became entangled in hydro line.  Worker was electrocuted.

                                                                                                Private farmer working on rented land, Farm Safety

                                                                                                Association notified.

 

September 21st       Industrial               St. George              A contractor was doing tree-trimming around a 4.8 kV power

1057542                                                                                  line.  While properly tied off in the tree, his left hand contacted

                                                                                                the conductor.  He was wearing regular gloves at the time, not

                                                                                                rubber gloves.  The worker was electrocuted.

 

Accidents - Critical:

 

July 16th                  Construction         Hamilton                Worker was doing eavestrough work, went to move the ladder.

1056909                                                                                  Ladder contacted overhead lines, worker was vital signs

                                                                                                absent.  Ambulance workers revived the worker.

 

July 29th                  Industrial               Toronto                 Worker doing electrical work, second worker was controlling

1056558                                                                                  the power source.  Worker started work on a second box

                                                                                                without telling the other worker first.  Worker wearing leather

                                                                                                gloves, not rubber gloves, current entered worker’s forearm.

                                                                                                Worker lost consciousness for a few minutes, and had burns to

                                                                                                both arms.  No information given on system voltage.

 

August 9th             Mining                   Port Dover             Worker was doing electrical welding when a cable hit a metal

1056331                                                                                  bar.  Worker received electrical shock, lost consciousness.

                                                                                                Worker taken to hospital.

 

August 12th           Mining                   Marathon              Two workers had repaired a 5 kV breaker, were racking the

1052341                                                                                  breaker back in when it flashed.  Both workers burned, one

                                                                                                worker extensively burned with 2nd and 3rd degree burns to

                                                                                                hands, arms and upper thighs.

 

September 29th      Industrial               Mississauga         Workers earlier had inadvertently set off a sprinkler head.

1060537                                                                                  Water had been shut off, during clean-up operations, a

                                                                                                worker turned on a light switch in another room.  Arc

                                                                                                occurred, worker received burns to fingers, hands and arms.

                                                                                                Room was at lower elevation, water had entered conduit and

                                                                                                run down.

 

 

Accidents - Non-Critical:

 

July 5th                    Industrial               Fort Erie Worker made contact with electrical equipment, received a

1057157                                                                                  shock, and was taken to hospital.  No information given on

                                                                                                equipment involved or type of work being done at the time.

 

July 8th                    Industrial               Markham               Electrician doing maintenance work, received 110 V shock.

1056201                                                                                  No further information given.

 

July 13th                  Construction         Brampton               Electrician received a shock while hooking up a fixture.

1057555                                                                                  Worker wound up receiving an injury to his hip.

 

July 20th                  Mining                   Sudbury                 Worker using 600 V multimeter to check voltages on hoist

1055738                                                                                  control circuitry.  While checking dynamic brake circuit, meter

                                                                                                blew up, worker received burns to his hands.  Investigation

                                                                                                showed that a configuration of hoist controller positions would

                                                                                                allow 4160 volts to backfeed into the dynamic brake circuit.

 

July 21st                  Construction         Georgina                Workers were installing a structure, machine hit overhead

1056594                                                                                  power lines causing an arc.  No information given on line

                                                                                                voltage, type of machine involved, or injuries suffered.

 

July 22nd                 Construction         Bath                        Worker received electrical burns to stomach and one hand.

1057862                                                                                  No details given of voltage or work being done at the time.

 

July 22nd                 Industrial               Brampton               Worker removing bus from electrical panel, made electrical

1058001                                                                                  contact.  Worker received burns to right hand.  Panel voltage

                                                                                                not given.

 

July 22nd                 Industrial               Brampton               Worker was removing a bus plug, received minor burns to

1058070                                                                                  right hand.

 

July 27th                  Construction         Virgil                       Dump truck contacted overhead lines, driver received a shock.

1052595                                                                                  Voltage of lines not given.

 

July 30th                  Construction         Toronto                 Worker working from a ladder, doing work on electrical wires.

1057031                                                                                  Worker fell from ladder, possibly due to electrical shock.

                                                                                                Worker received a cut to the back of his head.

 

August 13th           Industrial               Cambridge             Worker terminating wires while power was still on, voltage

1058103                                                                                  was 347 volts to ground.  Contact made, worker taken to

                                                                                                hospital then released.

 

August 25th           Construction         Aurora                   Worker was stabilizing a pole in the ground when an electrical

1058345                                                                                  contact was made, worker received an electrical shock.

                                                                                                No information given on source of current.

 

August 28th           Construction         Oakville                  Worker was on step ladder, made electrical contact.  Worker

1059491                                                                                  fell from ladder, suffered minor burns from contact.  Source of

                                                                                                current was backfeed to the junction box being worked on.

 

September 2nd        Construction         Richmond Hill       Worker was unraveling wire from a sprinkler pipe, touched the

1058488                                                                                  end.  Received a shock, was taken to hospital.

 

September 3rd        Industrial               Barrie                      Worker was trying to unplug a vacuum, pulled apart some tape

1056700                                                                                  covering a severed wire.  Received a shock, sent to hospital.

 

September 9th        Industrial               Hamilton                Worker changing a ballast, power was still ON.  Worker

1059240                                                                                  touched a live wire, received burn to left hand.

 

September 11th      Industrial               Brampton               Contractor checking power box with a screwdriver – found

1059801                                                                                  power.  Flash singed his eyebrows and hair.  Worker is now

                                                                                                also sensitive to light.

 

September 14th      Construction         Pickering                A worker received a shock when he unplugged a portable

1059246                                                                                  air conditioning unit.  The extension cord was wired wrong,

                                                                                                worker was taken to hospital then released.

 

September 14th      Construction         Bolton                    Worker checking light fixtures, tested the wrong wires and

1059903                                                                                  got a shock.  No data given on worker’s way of testing.

 

September 16th      Industrial               Toronto                 Building superintendent tried to change a fuse using a

1060022                                                                                  screwdriver while power was still ON. Worker received

                                                                                                burns ot both hands from resulting arc.

 

September 17th      Industrial               Scarborough         Worker checking refrigerator compressor, received a 110 V

1058883                                                                                  shock.  Taken to hospital for tests.

 

September 21st       Construction         Thunder Bay         Electrician working live, flash occurred.  Worker taken to

1060226                                                                                  hospital, no details given of work being done at time or

                                                                                                nature of injuries.

 

September 24th      Construction         Hamilton                Worker tried to plug in the motor of a swing-stage, received

1059424                                                                                  a shock.

 

September 30th      Industrial               Little Current         Worker was installing a wire for an electrician, touched

1052504                                                                                  something causing sparks to fly.  Worker received flash burns

                                                                                                to both wrists.

 

 

Reportable Incidents - Powerline Contacts:

 

July 6th                    Construction         Gloucester             Dug up a 8kV buried cable while digging for a watermain.

1013939                                                                                  Locates had been done.

 

July 6th                    Construction         Woolwich              Raised box of a dump truck contacted overhead power line.

1055670                                                  Township              Power line operating at 4800 volts.

 

July 6th                    Construction         Grimsby                 Contact made with buried cable, no other information given.

1057193

 

July 6th                    Construction         Nipigon                  Backhoe dug up 14 kV power line.  No locates done

1057256                                                  Township

 

July 7th                    Construction         Newcastle              Workers were grading a lot with bulldozer and backhoe when

1056156                                                                                  they contacted a buried cable.  Utility re-connected the cable.

 

July 8th                    Construction         Adjala                    Raised box of dump truck contacted an overhead line.

1013107                                                  Township

 

July 8th                    Construction         St Thomas             Backhoe being used to remove a tree, tree twisted and

1054724                                                                                  contacted overhead wire.

 

July 16th                  Construction         Toronto                 Core barrel of drill rig contacted 600 V overhead power line.

1058638

 

July 21st                  Construction         Waterloo               Boom being used to pull poles, pole suddenly let go.  Boom

1057224                                                                                  jumped and contacted one phase of the overhead line.

 

July 22nd                 Construction         Ottawa                   Boom contacted overhead power line.  Type of equipment

1052260                                                                                  attached to the boom not given.

 

July 26th                  Construction         Hamilton                Contractor doing resurfacing, contacted buried secondary

1057059                                                                                  cable.  No locates done.

 

July 26th                  Construction         Breslau                   Contact made with overhead power line.  Utility investigated

1057613                                                                                  the power trip-off, could not find the guilty party.

 

July 26th                  Construction         Brockville              Excavator contacted overhead power lines.  No flag man

1058108                                                                                  being used.

 

July 27th                  Construction         Hamilton                Backhoe dug up buried secondary cable.  Locates had been

1057108                                                                                  done, did not show the buried cable.

 

July 28th                  Construction         Hamilton                Backhoe hit 240 V buried cable, no locates done.

1058197

 

July 29th                  Construction         Haliburton             Contractor using a HighHoe cut through a 7200 V buried

1058438                                                                                  cable.

 

August 1st              Industrial               Kenora                   Sailboat on trailer made contact with 7200 power line.

1058385

 

August 3rd             Construction         Toronto                 Doing core drilling on concrete slab, drilled into conduit with

1058639                                                                                  110 V lighting circuit.

 

August 6th             Construction         Amherstview        Boom of boom truck became entangled in overhead hydro

1058546                                                                                  lines.

 

August 9th             Industrial               Cambridge             Garbage truck hoisting waste bin to empty it, contacted 8 kV

1057841                                                                                  overhead line.

 

August 10th           Construction         Toronto                 Scaffolding fell on power line, no other details given.

1057014

 

August 10th           Construction         Hamilton                Workers cut into buried cable, cable not energized at the time.

1057535                                                                                  Workers tried to repair the cable themselves.

 

August 11th           Construction         Niagara Falls         Contact made with buried cable, no other details given.

1052602

 

August 12th           Construction         Leamington           Event description says, “Worker hit hydro wire over 750

1057039                                                                                  volts”.  No other details given.

 

August 12th           Construction         Guelph                   Workers were using boom of excavator to pull up on

1058065 & 1059445 (same event)                                       trailer fender to try to straighten it.  Boom contacted

                                                                                                power line.

 

August 13th           Construction         Georgina                Contact made with buried 4800 V cable, no other details

1057601                                                                                  given.

 

August 18th           Construction         Waterloo               Truck contacted overhead hydro lines, no other details

1058104                                                                                  given.

 

August 19th           Construction         Toronto                 Truck contacted hydro lines, no other details given.

1059045

 

August 23rd           Construction         Brampton               Dumptruck hit neutral of 16kV power line.

1059163

 

August 25th           Construction         St. Catherines       Contractor doing boring, contacted buried primary cable.

1059256

 

August 26th           Construction         Carleton Place       Contact made with overhead power lines, no other details

1057341                                                                                  given.

 

August 26th           Construction         Markham               Crane contacted overhead power lines.

1058453

 

August 27th           Construction         Brampton               Worker cut into 13 kV power line.

1059411

 

August 28th           Construction         Toronto                 Contractor doing demolition of building, machinery hit hydro

1057645                                                                                  lines causing them to fall.  Crew thought lines were

                                                                                                disconnected.

 

August 30th           Industrial               Quinte West         Event description says, “electrical contact while on ladder 600

1059418                                                                                  volt or 2300 in the mill”.  No other details given.

 

August 31st            Construction         Burlington             Boom conveyor being used to hoist shingles, conveyor hit

1059516                                                                                  16 kV overhead line.

 

September 1st         Construction         Niagara-on-           Dump truck hit hydro wires.

1059545                                                  the-Lake

 

September 2nd        Construction         Etobicoke              Worker breaking up concrete around an existing toilet flange,

1059828                                                                                  hit a 16 kV cable.

 

September 3rd        Construction         London                  Backhoe struck a 16 kV buried cable.  Locates had been done

1055653                                                                                  four months ago.

 

September 10th      Construction         Municipality         Lifting chains were attached to a HDT-80 self-erecting tower

1057408                                                                                  crane.  During a hoist movement, the chains contacted a 600 V

                                                                                                power cable.

 

September 10th      Construction         Toronto                 Backhoe dug up a buried primary cable.

1058023

 

September 13th      Construction         Thunder Bay         Backhoe dug up two buried cables in area.  Third cable

1059871                                                                                  missed by backhoe.

 

September 14th      Construction         Brampton               Backhoe hit a buried primary cable.

1059902

 

September 15th      Construction         Markham               Buried cable struck, no other details given.

1058872

 

September 17th      Construction         London                  Boring machine hit 2400 V buried cable.

1056665

 

September 17th      Construction         Pickering                Cutting trees, tree fell and knocked out a 13.8 kV

1058860                                                                                  power line.

 

September 17th      Construction         Kitchener               Boring machine struck a primary cable.

1059707

 

September 20th      Construction         Municipality         Backhoe dug up the duct containing the primary cable.

1060122                                                  not given               No locates had been done in the past 14 days.

 

September 21st       Construction         Cambridge             Excavator contacted the 240 V overhead line to a private

1059191                                                                                  residence.

 

September 24th      Construction         St. Catherines       Contact made with buried cable, no other details given.

1052628

 

September 27th      Construction         Caledonia              Contact made with 16 kV, no other details given.

1057638

 

September 27th      Construction         London                  Contact made with 2400 volts, no other details given.

1057734

 

September 27th      Construction         Mississauga         Excavator contacted 4 kV overhead line, line pulled down.

1060468

 

September 29th      Construction         St. Catherines       Contact made with primary cable, no other details given.

1052627

 

September 30th      Construction         Kitchener               Event coded as power line contact, no other details given.

1060545

 

September 30th      Construction         Kitchener               Event coded as power line contact, no other details given.

1060546


Reportable Incidents - Electrical Equipment:

 

August 25th           Mining                   Sudbury                 Hoist chain contacted a metal bracket, creating a path to

1057624                                                                                  ground from the electrode cover.  No injuries reported from

                                                                                                the resulting flash.

 

 

And Finally……

 

July 23rd                 Construction         Toronto                 Caller reports an unknown male suffered unknown injuries

1055990                                                                                  when he fell off a ladder.  By the time police and ambulance

                                                                                                had arrived, worker had fled for an unknown reason.

                                                                                                Can it be said that further details are unknown at this time?

 

 

 

 

DATA SUMMARY - Third Quarter

 

                                Fatals:                    Criticals:              Non-criticals:                       Powerline              Electrical

                                                                                                                                                Contacts:               Equipment:

 

2004                            3                               5                                24                                          56                            1

2003                            5                               6                                24                                          50                            4

2002                            1                             10                               34                                          59                            0

2001                            2                               5                                25                                          44                            1

 

2000                            2                               5                                26                                          42                            0

1999                            3                             11                               24                                          40                            0

1998                            5                             13                               13                                          40                            2

 

 

Information taken from Ministry of Labour MIS database

Report prepared: November 8, 2004

 

Assembled by:     Michael Reiser

                                Engineer

                                PSS – Kitchener District

 

                                Phone:    (519) 883-5682

                                FAX:      (519) 883-5694

                                E-Mail:   mike.reiser@mol.gov.on.ca