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This report is available at:
http://www.puc.state.or.us/Pages/safety/index.aspx Contact Information:
Public Utility Commission of Oregon
Utility Safety, Reliability and Security Division
Paul Birkeland, Utility and Energy Analyst-III
P.O. Box 1088
Suite 200
201 High St. SE
Salem, OR 97301-1088
503-378-6190
Email: [email protected] 1
2015 Electric Utility Contact Report (FOR ELECTRICAL CONTACT INJURY INCIDENTS REPORTED TO THE OR-PUC THROUGH 2015)
REPORT COMPILED
DECEMBER-2016 by
Rick Carter-SRSD
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
Introductions 3
Summary 4
Chart-1: Electrical Contact Injuries by Severity 5
Chart-2: Electrical Contact Injuries by Activity Classification 6
Chart-3: Type of Electrical System Facility-Type Involved 7
Chart-4: When Incidents Occur, by Month 8
Chart-5: Incident Sites by Demographic Areas 9
Chart-6: Incident Sites by State-Regional Areas 10
Special Areas of Concern 11
Chart-7: Tree Incidents Reported, 20-year History 12
Chart-8: Crane or Worker-Lift Equipment Incidents Reported, 20-year History 13
Chart-9: Irrigation Pipe Incidents Reported, 20-year History 14
Chart-10: Building Related Incidents Reported, 20-year History 15
Chart-11: Excavation Incidents Reported, 20-year History 16
Chart-12: Children in Trees Incidents, 20-year History 17
Recommendations to Electrical Utilities by OPUC Safety Staff 18
3
INTRODUCTION
The safe transport of electric energy includes: engineering, constructing and maintaining facilities
to meet applicable safety codes; performing daily operations safely with trained, qualified, and
supervised employees and contractors; and protecting the public.
The root cause of many accidents is related to an unsafe act, not an unsafe condition. Also, there is
often a lack of public awareness of the degree of danger.
The innocent looking wire that a bird can land on with impunity has the potential to end, or
change forever, the life of a person who touches it.
It is essential that all of us who live and work around power lines understand the danger, the
possible consequences, and how to avoid it.
The electric utilities have a responsibility to provide this education, to train and supervise
employees, and to build and maintain their facilities to comply with the National Electric Safety
Code (NESC), as required by the Commission’s Safety Rules in OAR 860, Division 24.
This report contains a number of accompanying charts, along with a summary and
recommendations.
Electric operators can use this information to more accurately target their public information
program and their worker safety training.
Incident reporting to the PUC is required by ORS 654.715 and OAR 860-024-0050
(All “Operators” - defined in OAR 860-024-0001).
The OPUC’s Utility Safety, Reliability and Security Division’s Management & Staff use this
information to help with NESC administration and to promote accident prevention.
4
SUMMARY
In Oregon in 2015 one individual was killed and six people were injured in six separate
incidents as the result of utility power line contacts. Of these injuries one individual was
hospitalized, and the remaining five experienced electrical shock or minor injuries.
Statistics reveal that contacts in 2015 were lower than the 5-year average from 2011-2015.
All of the known injuries1 were the result of unsafe actions near high voltage power lines
by workers or members of the public. These injuries involved persons who failed to take
appropriate safety precautions while performing activities near high voltage lines.
The fatality in 2015 was the result of a low flying aircraft that contacted overhead lines.
As for electric contact injuries to the general public, five persons were injured in 2015.
These injuries involved the following:
A citizen attempted to remove a tree limb from an energized overhead power line.
An unauthorized person, eluding law enforcement, climbed a substation fence and made
contact with a high voltage conductor on a circuit breaker.
One person was injured when they accidentally cut through an underground conduit and
severing a primary electrical conductor.
Two individuals (electricians) were injured as a result of an arc-flash in a 480 volt
electrical Panel.
1 (Injury is defined in OAR 860-024-0050. However, only injuries related to electric power-line contacts are included in this report.)
5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
-- 2006 -- -- 2007 -- -- 2008 -- -- 2009 -- -- 2010 -- -- 2011 -- -- 2012 -- -- 2013 -- -- 2014-- -- 2015--
Num
be
r o
f P
ers
on
s In
vo
lve
d
Injury Severity:
Electrical Contact Injuries by Severity
Fatality Hospitalized Total Incidents
6
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Nu
mb
er
of
Pe
rso
ns In
vo
lve
d
Electrical Contact Injuries by Activity Classification
General Public Line Worker Work Related
7
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Overhead Distribution Overhead Transmission Substation Underground Distribution Secondary Service
Num
be
r o
f In
cid
en
ts
Type of Electrical System Involved 2010 - 2015 Incidents
8
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
5.5
6
6.5
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Num
be
r o
f In
cid
en
ts
Incidents Occurred - By Month
2013 2014 2015
9
The pie chart below indicates where people are injured in regard to:
Demographic Areas or Sites: Rural, Suburban, Urban, Industrial, and Construction
Construction-0
Urban-3
Rural-5
Suburban-7
By Person Injured
Suburban-4
Rural-4
2013 2014
Urban-8
Urban-4
Suburban-1
Rural-5
Industrial-0
2015
10
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Num
be
r o
f P
ers
on
s In
vo
lve
d
Area of State
Where Contact Injuries Occur-By State Regions
2012 2013 2014 2015
Northwest
Southwest Northeast Southeast
11
Special Areas of Concern
The next three charts track 20 years of history opf incidents related to certain equipment or activities.
Tree Related: This category is, on average, where most electrical contact injuries occur. There has been an
average of 5.20 tree related contacts per year over the last twenty years. Many of these contacts involved
homeowners trimming or falling trees in their yards. The majority of the remaining contacts were non-utility tree
trimmers (landscapers) and loggers. If utility customers are going to get injured with high-voltage lines, the
chances are high that it will be connected to a tree in their yard.
Crane or Lift Equipment Related: Crane or lift equipment related electrical contacts have been a continuing
source of concern needing special attention by the electric utilities and Oregon OSHA. Over this 20-year period,
there has been an average of 4.1 people injured each year. Below are some conclusions taken from recent crane
incidents: Crane or Lift equipment contacts have been the most likely incident type to result in multiple victims.
Line visibility is not a problem in most cases. Most operators know of the line’s presence.
The types of “crane” or “lifts” involved in line contacts are highly varied.
Operator experience and training is highly varied. Moving cranes or lifts in the “up” position is dangerous.
Cement pumper incidents are becoming more common.
Irrigation Pipe Related: These incidents usually occur when farm workers raise pipes vertically to clear animals
or debris. When a power line is above them, there are disastrous results. Utility education efforts, (e.g. Spanish-
speaking radio stations) appear to be working. There have been no accidents of this type since 2012.
Building Related: These incidents involve buildings in close proximity to high voltage power lines. Generally,
workers in these incidents did not take adequate measures to maintain the ten-foot working clearance to high
voltage power lines (per ORS 757.800 and ORS 757.805).
Excavation Related: These are incidents where people excavated and contacted underground electric lines. Most
electrical contact incidents involve construction and maintenance workers from other industries
Children in Trees-Contact Incidents: Due to improved Vegetation Management trimming cycles and greater
public education outreach the number of these types of incident has decreased, no incidents since 2000.
12
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Nu
mb
er
of P
ers
on
s In
vo
lve
d
Tree Incidents Reported 20-Year History
Fatalities Total Contacts Five Year Rolling Average
13
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Nu
mb
er
of P
ers
on
s In
vo
lve
d
Crane or Lift Equipment Incidents Reported 20-Year History
Fatalities Total Contacts Five-Year Rolling Average
Five Year Rolling Average
14
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Nu
mb
er
of P
ers
on
s In
vo
lve
d
Irrigation Pipe Incidents Reported 20-Year History
Fatalities Total Contacts Five Year Rolling Average
Five Year Rolling Average
15
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Nu
mb
er
of
Pe
rso
ns In
vo
lve
d
Year:
Building Related Incidents Reported Six-Year History
16
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Nu
mb
er
of
Pe
rso
ns In
vo
lve
d
Year:
Building Related Incidents Reported Six-Year History
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Num
be
r o
f P
ers
on
s In
vo
lve
d
Year:
Excavation Incidents Reported Six-Year History
(involving contacts with underground electric lines)
17
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Num
ber
of
Child
ren I
nju
red (
18 y
ears
and y
ounger)
Children Incidents in Trees 20-Year History
High-Voltage Line Contacts in Oregon
Child-Contact Incidents Five Year Rolling Average
Five Year Rolling Average
18
Recommendations to Electric Utilities by the OPUC Safety Staff
1.Continue the effective general safety education programs now in place: These efforts are preventing accidents. Ongoing programs for schools are particularly encouraged. All grade
school students in Oregon should receive power-line safety education at least twice during these years. Some
excellent bill stuffers have been developed, and we recommend their use for educating customers about common
hazards. Specifically timed safety messages on radio and television are valuable to warn the public about downed
lines and other hazards.
2.Focus educational programs to: a. Warn homeowners and landscape tree trimmers about electrical hazards related to trees. This is a key area
needing emphasis each year to every customer.
b. Target construction workers where construction is anticipated. A special emphasis should be placed on work
using crane or lift equipment. Crane and lift-related accidents have been very high when construction levels are
up. Educate about dig-in hazards and one-call notification.
3.Emphasize utility worker safety programs to reduce the number of electrical contact
incidents: Consider the expanded use of rubber gloves in any primary area, overhead and underground,
energized or not.
4.Notification to utilities should be encouraged prior to all work or activities which will occur
near either overhead or underground lines (Remember: “Call B4 You Dig-811”).
5.Maintain a National Electrical Safety Code compliant system to provide a consistently safe
environment for electrical and communication workers: Each electrical utility should consider these recommendations with the perspective of knowing your local
conditions and activities, priorities, and potential hazards. Our hope is that this information will help you develop
an effective accident prevention program.
