An Alabama electrical contractor is in trouble with federal OSHA after a 22-year-old electrician sustained life-threatening arc flash burns.
The electrician had been guiding wires through an electrical cabinet on Sept. 26, 2023 when the ground wires hit live components resulting in an arc flash that caused burns so severe that the employee had to be hospitalized.
OSHA cited the contractor for requiring its employees to feed wires through electrical cabinets that weren’t de-energized, exposing them to shock and burn hazards. Other citations involved failure to train employees to recognize hazards and allowing workers to perform hazardous duties without proper PPE.
Fine: $93,566
Company: Smith’s Electrical Service & Repair, doing business as Smith’s Electrical, Camp Hill, Alabama
Business: Electrical contractor
Reasons for fine:
One willful violation for failing to:
- prevent employees from working in close proximity to energized, unguarded and ungrounded electric power circuits
Three serious violations for failing to:
- train employees to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions
- require employees to wear PPE when exposed to hazardous conditions
- provide employees with protective helmets when working in areas where there was the possibility for head injuries
