Any kind of work involving electricity can be especially dangerous and can result in falls, burns or a wide range of injuries. Repairs to active electrical or gas systems can easily lead to accidents which ultimately increases the risks of a work injury for any power company worker on the scene. Recently in California, a Pacific Gas and Electric worker was injured while conducting needed repairs in a San Francisco neighborhood.
The accident was blamed on equipment failure. The failure that occurred caused some kind of flash. It was this electrical flash that injured the power company worker. The flash also damaged the equipment and resulted in a power outage in the area being serviced.
The worker had to be transported to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. It is unclear what the exact nature of those injuries was other than being listed as minor. The power outage that occurred affected 2,600 customers at its onset.
While the extent of the work injury suffered is not known, any kind of injury requiring medical treatment can impede a worker’s ability to return to work and that alone can result in lost wages. California worker’s compensation laws protect workers injured on the job from suffering financially while they are unable to work or when they have incurred medical bills related to the injuries they received while doing their job. If the California worker in this case has suffered burns that need ongoing treatment or therapy, worker’s compensation benefits through Pacific Gas and Electric will ultimately be responsible for covering those bills.
Source: abclocal.go.com, “Power outage in San Francisco’s Bayview District,” May 5, 2013