Two construction workers were treated for serious burns after an electrical explosion caused by their jackhammer hitting a live 11,000V electrical wire while prepping a job site to lay bricks. Though the incident happened in Millbank, London back in 2013, video has just recently surfaced and the construction companies involved have been hit with large fines for exposing their workers to safety risks.
The two men involved, one 22 years old and one 63 at the time, are seen in the video striking an electrical line and being engulfed in flames for a short period of time. It’s pretty graphic, so those with weak stomachs should not watch. The younger worker spent almost a month in the hospital after suffering severe burns on his arms, legs, hands, and face, according to the Health and Safety Executive, the British equivalent to America's OSHA. The older man, was also treated for serious neck and face burns and can no longer work with drills and machines, after the traumatic stress.
Both the general contractor and sub-contractor were fined after the safety investigation was completed. The General Contractor was fined roughly $67,000 USD ($45,000 British Pounds), for failing to assess the risk on the job site, failing to notify the workers that the wire was live, and failing to manage the site and the contractor. The sub-contractor, the employer of the two workers, was also fined the same amount for failing to provide adequate supervision during the work, failing to adequately assess the risk of the job site, and failing to measure the competency of the workers before assigning them the task.
FULL STORY: Electrical explosion leaves worker scarred for life | Health and Safety Executive
On Tuesday morning, February 23, the Syracuse Fire Department responded to a call about a collapsed crane on a construction site near the university. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.