Exposure to electric arc · Electrical burns any degree
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at DUKE ENERGY FLORIDA, LLC, 2725 Scherer Way North, SAINT PETERSBURG, FLORIDA 33716
on — Electrical burns any degree , affecting the Head and neck.
Final narrative
An employee was de-energizing a stand-alone three-phase 3,000-kVA transformer. The employee had opened a bay on the switchgear and removed the barrier board covering a 200-amp switch. The employee then used a 6-foot insulated work stick to open the fuse door. As soon as the top of the fuse door separated from the gear's switch bracket, an arc flash occurred, burning the employee's left ear, neck, and cheek area and causing swelling on the employee's lips.
Hospitalized Head and neck Power lines, transformers, convertors
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.
An employee was changing out insulators and hardware on a lattice 230-kilovolt tower when he saw that the pin that was securing the V-string to the outside phase was falling out. He hooked up a chain hoist to stop it. While going down, the employee dropped the chain hoist, causing it to go by a 69-kilovolt line. He suffered an electric shock by induction, which resulted in third-degree burns on his finger, back, and buttocks.
An employee was on a ladder working on an absorber tower. As the employee was taking the unit apart, a part struck him in the face and knocked him off the ladder. The employee sustained facial lacerations.
An employee was working on a transformer, removing the cover inside a cabinet, when an arc flash occurred. The employee sustained second-degree burns to his neck and ears requiring hospitalization.
An employee was hospitalized after he was shot in the leg. The employee was in the parking lot after getting off shift. The gun was in his backpack that dropped on the floor, setting the gun off.
An employee was terminating cables in a junction box. A loose ground wire came into contact with the bushing, causing a flash that burned the right side of the employee's face and his right hand.
An employee was using a bucket truck hoist to raise secondary aerial wiring. The wire made contact with the primary wire, causing an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to both hands and was hospitalized.
A temporary employee was testing an electrical starter motor. He was placing tape on the starter while the breaker was not engaged, but the starter sent an arc flash that burned his hands and stomach.
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 was setting up communication equipment for a meeting. They were walking and tripped over a speaker on the ground. The employee sustained a leg injury.
An employee (a lineman) was working to restore power by installing a hand line when he contacted a high-voltage device (7,200 volts), resulting in electrical burns to his upper body and hands.
A chain sling failed while a utility pole was being removed. A chain link struck an employee who was operating a front-end loader, puncturing the employee's chest.
An employee was working with an underground crew to troubleshoot a BUD failure. The employee was removing a fuse from the fuse holder when the fuse blew on the riser and an arc flash occurred. The employee was hospitalized with burns to his face, nose, lips, and neck.
An employee was connecting two wires when his rubber insulated gloves failed and he suffered an electric shock to his right hand, resulting in an electrical burn.
An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.
An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.
An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.
An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.