SAFETYBIZ,
INC.
Safety Engineering Services
Jay W. Preston, CSP, PE, CMIOSH, President and CEO
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Safety Engineering Services Jay W. Preston, CSP, PE, CMIOSH, President and CEO
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Jay W. Preston, CEO
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NEWS ON INSPECTIONS: On August 23, 2000, a decision came down in California. This was rendered in a case, Richard Ortega v. K-MART. This case has been cited as 00 cdos 7049. My understanding is that this new case establishes a new doctrine. If there is no inspection program in place, notice of a defective condition can be imputed to a defendant by simply showing the absence of an inspection program. This is a significant change from the old Biltmore Garage standard of the late 1960's. Biltmore said, essentially, that a lack of notice could not be asserted as a defense if there was no inspection program. As of mid-January 2002, the case has been sent down for re-trial on the issue. It looks like Biltmore will remain the standard. I have long been an advocate of inspection programs for safety and accident prevention.
COMMON DEVICE PREVENTS KABC ELECTROCUTION May 23, 2000 (updated 7/3/2000), Los Angeles, Jay W. Preston, www.safetybiz.com
The National Electric Code and other recognized bodies of electrical safety rules and regulations allow power lines to be as close to the ground as 20 feet. This is why any nearly any elevating equipment may come in contact with them. The operator must be able to watch as the equipment is elevated. Most news remote units do not have such a capability. Research has shown that even crane operators with a clear view of their operating envelope have great difficulty in determining the height of power lines and require spotters. This is largely due to power lines being linear in nature and nearly impossible to visually judge for depth. There is at least one device on the market that can solve the problem. It is the "Sig-Alarm." It consists of a package of an antenna and the electronics necessary to detect the electric field around a power line and sound an alarm before proximity or contact. Such a device, properly used, would have prevented the KABC incident and the injury to the crew. A broadcasting remote (ENG) truck without such a device (Sig-Alarm or equivalent) constitutes a dangerous condition likely to cause serious injury or death. Such a vehicle is defective. Anyone injured in an accident like that of KABC should get in touch with a good product liability attorney. They could have a case against the manufacturer or supplier of the equipment. For information on the "Sig-Alarm" device check out www.sigalarminc.com For information on Jay W. Preston: www.safetybiz.com High voltage burns are expensive to treat. Ms. Alpert clings to life, but her extremities are being amputated. It may be that her internal organs were cooked to some degree as well. I have seen these things before. Until she leaves the hospital, she remains in grave danger. I did a web search to find Sig-Alarm, (sig-alarm in the search engine) and I picked up the latest sales data on the equipment. There is a manufacturer of remote trucks that was found under that heading (BAF) as distributor for device. Also check out sigalarminc.com The Sig-Alarm device has been in use for nearly 30 years. I first came across them at one of our safety conventions when I was at Liberty (1969-71) I think. We are all familiar with how an AM radio buzzes when near a high voltage power line. The Sig-Alarm detects that electro-magnetic field and signals the alarm and/or prevents movement of the equipment close to the source. In some cases, the Sig-Alarm can be rigged to retract the equipment when its antenna gets too close to a powerline. One drawback for crane operations is that the antenna is mounted on the boom, and crane contacts frequently involve cable contact, rather than boom contact. Such a drawback does not exist on antenna towers. They go straight up and have no dangling elements. Another drawback is that my understanding is that Sig-Alarm will not detect direct current lines. This is a very remote situation except when working near transit projects where traction power is often 600 VDC and under rare transmission lines (like Pacific Intertie). If the KABC-TV truck had sig-alarm, it was not working or was ignored. If it did not, it was defective. Also, the remote truck did not have way to watch the progress of the tower elevating operation. Many operational errors likely were present. They parked on sidewalk. The sidewalk tilted toward the utility easement. The powerline may have been too low. There likely was a lack of warning and/or a likely lapse in training. The camera tech was not used as a spotter. There are many of factors involved. There were two other injuries to the camera tech and a police officer. This could be a high profile case. Just the publicity may help to eliminate similar events in the future. The medical expenses for Ms. Alpert alone will be very large. She remains hospitalized.
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aol.com
The tragic accident of May 22, 2000 to the crew and equipment of
the KABC News remote van serves to emphasize the dangers associated with elevating
equipment and power line contacts. Cranes, elevating manlifts, bucket manlifts, fire
department snorkels, extension ladders, and similar equipment capable of elevating above
twenty feet can expose operators and bystanders to electrocution danger.
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