The Texas work accident attorneys at Denena & Points mention that just last week in Houston, an air conditioning repairman died from electrical shock injuries while he was working on a unit at a local business. And on Saturday in San Antonio at SeaWorld, another worker died while working on an air conditioning unit.
The fatally injured employee of SeaWorld was on top of the employee café with another worker. One employee put his hand inside the unit to take a measurement while they were testing the amperage load of the HVAC unit. According to news accounts of the incident, the second employee heard a noise and saw a puff of smoke from the vicinity where the first worker had been and went to check on him. He was unconscious.
EMS rescuers took the worker down from the roof of the SeaWorld employee café. Authorities pronounced the worker dead at the scene from apparent electric shock injury. (Source: click2houston.com, 8/25/12)
Reports of the accident do not mention whether the employees up on the roof testing amperage leads were trained electrical workers or whether they had flash suits to protect them. Reports do seem to indicate that the power was still on to the unit they were testing while they worked.
The risk of injury from electric shock hazards is extremely high to employees working in the vicinity of live high voltage loads. Only highly trained workers should be permitted to work on electrical machinery such as the café’s HVAC unit. Even well trained workers receive serious or even fatal injuries each year from electric shock accidents.
The injuries that can result from an electrical arc or electrical current burns are of several types and can be life threatening or immediately fatal in some cases. Learn more about the hazards of electric shock injuries for workers in this article by our Texas work accident attorneys.
If you or a loved one suffered an electric shock at work and you need help obtaining just financial compensation for your injuries and losses, contact our Texas work accident attorneys for a free and confidential legal consultation. We understand workers’ rights and compensation issues, and could advise you regarding your available legal options for making a full financial recovery. Let us help; it’s what we do.