Direct exposure to electricity, unspecified · Electrical burns, unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Centerpoint Energy, Hardy Street at North Sam Houston Beltway, HOUSTON, TEXAS 77060
on — Electrical burns, unspecified, affecting the head and trunk.
Final narrative
An employee was working as a crew member at a substation when the employee placed a test lead from a tube stick on an energized conductor. An arc flash occurred, causing thermal burns to the employee's face and chest.
HospitalizedHead and trunkSwitchboards, switches, fuses
A crew was investigating a leak on the side of a road. The injured employee was walking back to his truck when he was struck by a passing vehicle. He suffered a leg fracture. The employee was wearing his high-visibility vest at the time of the incident.
An employee was repairing a leak in a gas line. He was cutting the line when a flash occurred and severely burned both of his hands, requiring hospitalization.
An employee was performing an inspection in the backyard of a house when a dog ran outside of the house. The employee suffered shortness of breath and chest pain. The employee was hospitalized for a heart attack.
An employee was removing a tree from a powerline to restore electrical power to a neighborhood. The employee was on a de-energized pole when an electrical flash occurred, burning the employee's chest and torso.
An employee was installing a 15-amp breaker in an electrical panel when a 12-gauge ground wire touched the positive busbar of the panel, resulting in an arc flash. The employee sustained a second-degree burn to their left hand.
An employee was repairing an HVAC system in the drop tile ceiling of a conference room when they were shocked, causing them to fall from the ladder. The employee sustained burns to their right middle and ring fingers.
An employee was replacing a contactor inside an electrical panel attached directly to a press. The press itself was receiving power from another main panel. After replacing the contactor, the employee flipped the switch and an arc flash occurred, burning the employee's elbow, bicep, and neck.
An employee was attempting to switch a medium-voltage primary cable and install a 200-amp fuse barrel. The employee contacted the bottom of the switch gear cradle for the fuse barrel, causing an arc blast. The electricity entered the employee s left hand and exited his big toes, resulting in electric shock and burns to the left hand, arm, shoulder, and both feet. The employee was hospitalized.
On December 6, 2023, an employee of Duke Energy was working on a single-phase 120-/240-volt parallel service re-tap when a secondary flash occurred in an underground service. The employee suffered a second-degree burn to the face and was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 221118)
An employee was operating a dump truck when the trailer door swung and pinched the employee's right middle fingertip underneath the nailbed, resulting in an amputation.
An employee was attaching a turnbuckle to an auger. The turnbuckle slipped and the employee's left thumb was pinched between the turnbuckle and the auger resulting in a partial amputation of left thumb.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.