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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8151
Cited for safety violations in Lawrence
facility
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) today proposed penalties of $455,000 against Western Resources for
failure to follow safety requirements at its Lawrence, Kan., Energy Center
where three workers died in an electrical explosion last November.
OSHA cited the company for six alleged willful and seven
alleged serious safety violations, mostly of the agency’s standard on
electrical power generation.
“Management showed a lack of
concern about taking the required safety precautions that might have prevented
this triple tragedy,” said OSHA Administrator Charles N. Jeffress.
“Stiff penalties are warranted.”
OSHA proposed fines of $70,000 for each of the willful
violations, the maximum permitted under law.
On Nov. 24, 1997, employees had been working within the
minimum safe work distances of a high-voltage circuit breaker cubicle and
removed safety guards from energized electrical conductors in the cubicle.
Physical evidence indicates that it was likely that part of one of the safety
guards touched the energized conductors, causing an electrical explosion with a
26- foot fireball.
One employee was killed instantly and two other employees
(a Western Resources manager directing the work and the other an employee of a
subcontractor, ABB Services, Inc.) were fatally injured. Both died several days
later as a result of their injuries.
Western Resources, with corporate headquarters in Topeka,
Kan., is an electric utility company with multiple locations in the state
which, among other things, distributes power to Kansas Power & Light and
Kansas Gas & Electric. Total employment for Western Resources is 4,000. The
Lawrence Energy Center is a power generation facility with 125 employees.
OSHA said that neither the two supervisors directing the
work nor the employee who was killed instantly had been wearing personal
protective equipment. When the work changed, exposing the employee to energized
electrical equipment, the managers should have held a second job briefing to
address the changed work situation and appropriate safety procedures, but did
not.
The violations of the power generation standard involve
training, personal protective equipment, minimum safe work distances, work
planning, hazardous energy control and safe work practices.
OSHA also proposed penalties totaling $40,000 against the
subcontractor, ABB Services of Kansas City, Mo., for eight alleged serious
violations.
Western Resources has 15 working days to contest the
citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and
Health Review Commission.
# # #
(Editor’s Note: See Attached Fact Sheet for Summary of
Citations and Proposed Penalties)
SUMMARY OF CITATIONS AND PROPOSED
PENALTIES
WESTERN RESOURCES,INC.
LAWRENCE, KAN., ENERGY CENTER
- Protective equipment was not used when necessary whenever hazards
capable of causing injury or impairment were encountered. ($70,000)
- Qualified employees were not trained and competent in the minimum
approach distances specified in the standard for the voltages to which the
qualified employee will be exposed. ($70,000)
- Employees were not trained and competent in the proper use of
special and precautionary techniques, personal protective equipment, insulating
and shielding materials and insulated tools for working on or near exposed
energized parts of electrical equipment.($70,000)
- The employer did not ensure that a second job briefing was held if
significant changes, which might affect the safety of the employees, occur
during the course of the work. ($70,000)
- The employer did not ensure that no employee approaches or takes any
conductive object closer to exposed energized parts than is permitted in the
standard.($70,000)
- The guarding of energized parts within a compartment was not
maintained during operation and maintenance functions to prevent accidental
contact with energized parts and to prevent tools or other equipment from being
dropped on energized parts. ($70,000)
Total Penalties for Alleged Willful Violations
($420,000)
(Willful violations are those committed with an intentional
disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational
Safety and Health Act and regulations.)
- The employer did not assess the workplace to determine if hazards
were present or likely to be present that necessitated the use of personal
protective equipment.($5,000)
- Electrical protective equipment not subjected to periodic tests as
required by the standard.($5,000)
- Employees not trained and familiar with electrical safety- related
work practices and procedures pertaining to their job
assignments.($5,000)
- The employer did not certify that employees had received required
training.($5,000)
- Existing conditions related to the safety of the work were not
determined before work on or near electric lines or equipment was
started.($5,000)
- The employer did not require use of a lockout on energy isolating
devices that were capable of being locked out and the employer did not
demonstrate that use of a tagout system will provide full employee
protection.($5,000)
- Three violations of requirements for controlling hazardous energy
and training employees in such controls. (Grouped)($5,000)
- The employer did not ensure that each employee exposed to hazards of
flames or electric arcs did not wear clothing that would increase the extent of
injury that might be sustained. ($5,000)
Total Penalties for Alleged Serious Violations
($35,000)
(A serious violation is defined as one in which there is a
substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and
the employer knew or should have known of the hazard.)
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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