Northeast Hospital Corp has been cited by OSHA for alleged repeat and serious electrical safety violations of at its facility in Beverly, MA. The employer faces a total of $63,000 in proposed fines following an OSHA inspection prompted by a worker complaint.
OSHA determined that some hospital employees were exposed to potential electric shock, burns, arc flash events and electrocution while changing circuit breakers on live electrical panels. The employees did not have or did not use personal protective equipment while working with energized electrical equipment. It was also determined that electrical protective equipment was not periodically tested; electrical safety related work practices were not used; and specific procedures were not developed for the control of hazardous energy while replacing electrical breakers.
$28,000 in citations were issued by OHSA. OSHA issues a serious citation when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
Because the hospital failed to ensure that unused openings in the electrical panels and control centers were closed, OSHA issued a $35,000 (repeat) fine.. The citation was classified as repeat because OSHA had cited the hospital in May 2010 for a similar condition. A repeat citation is issued when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.
“Electricity can kill or severely injure workers, literally in a flash. There is no margin for error here,” said Jeffrey Erskine, OSHA’s area director for Essex and Middlesex counties. “That’s why it is vitally important for the safety and well-being of employees working with electricity that they be properly trained and equipped with effective protective equipment.”
