Any kind of electrical work can be very dangerous, even when there are safeguards in place or a person is highly skilled in electrical work. When there is an accident with electricity and someone is injured on the job, the consequences can be serious. A recent accident in California left one worker seriously burned.
The accident occurred at the Metro headquarters in Los Angeles. Two workers were in a subterranean electrical room working in the middle of the afternoon. There was some kind of flash, and one worker was shocked by the electricity. The other worker was not injured by the flash.
The man who was shocked had burns and an arm injury, although details of the arm injury were not reported. However, the injury was described as serious. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health plans on investigating the incident as the cause of the flash that caused the shock has not been determined.
Burn injuries of any level can be painful and require extensive medical treatment. A burn injury can also impact a person’s ability to do his or her job effectively, even after that worker has healed. Anyone who works in an environment where being injured on the job can include burn injuries may want to understand how their livelihood may be impacted by such an injury. In California and elsewhere, anyone who is injured on the job has certain rights and benefits and is entitled to seek assistance in navigating the legal process to secure workers’ compensation benefits to pay for medical care and receive a lost income package for any time missed from work while recovering.
Source: latimes.com, “Worker suffers high-voltage electrical shock at Metro headquarters“, Veronica Rocha, Oct. 13, 2014