Direct exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts · Electrocutions, electric shocks
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Evergy, 1425 N. McLean Boulevard, WICHITA, KANSAS 67203
on — Electrocutions, electric shocks, affecting the bODY SYSTEMS.
Final narrative
An employee was working on a pad-mounted transformer when he suffered a 7,200-volt shock. He was hospitalized.
Employees were setting a pole along a county road to replace a storm-damaged pole. They were positioning the new pole in the hole and were canting the new pole using the pole chain. The pole shifted and dropped in the hole, causing the chain to roll over an employee's right index finger. The chain caught their finger against the pole and resulted in a fingertip amputation without bone loss.
An employee was utilizing an aerial bucket to repair the service drop at a residential home. The truck that the arial bucket is attached to was parked on a slope and began to move. The employee was ejected from the bucket and landed on the ground, sustaining two back fractures.
An employee was using a drill with a ground rod attached to wind up a line to pull a flat mule line from transformer to transformer. His left little finger became wrapped in the line and was partially amputated.
An employee was carrying out a meter test on the side of a pad-mounted transformer. An arc flash burned the employee's face and hands. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was installing a ground wire to a power transmission pole. The ground wire contacted an energized portion of a cut-out, causing an arc-flash. The employee was hospitalized with second degree burns to their chest and arms.
An employee was connecting a utility transformer for underground service to a home. The employee's impact drill went across two connection bars with 240 volts of potential, creating an arc flash. The employee sustained burns to the face and eyes due to the arc flash and molten aluminum.
On December 15, 2023, at 9:15 AM, an employee was changing 60-amp fuses in a 480-volt panel when an arc flash occurred. The employee was hospitalized with burns to both hands.
An employee turned a corner while walking, tripped over the corner of a pallet on the floor, fell onto her arm, and broke it. She was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was moving a transformer from inside a shop. He was rolling it down a ramp when it tipped over onto his right foot and big toe, resulting in crush injuries and a laceration.
Employees were moving an electrical cabinet by using two wheeled equipment skates. One of the wheels of the skates became caught in a crack in the floor, causing the equipment to tip over and land on an employee's right foot. The employee's foot was fractured.
An employee was using an industrial magnet to lift and maneuver a weldment. While the frame was being set down on the welding table, the magnet disengaged prematurely; the frame fell and crushed the employee's left ring and middle fingers. The employee underwent medical amputations to the middle finger (at the first knuckle) and the ring finger (just past the second knuckle).
An employee was working on an order when they were struck by a forklift. This caused the employee to bump into a machine. The employee suffered a laceration to the right thigh, requiring hospitalization.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.