On August 4th, an electrician was found unconscious at the John Deere plant in Waterloo. Daniel Gerdman, 22, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Gerdman was working on some lighting when he was electrocuted; OSHA is currently investigating the accident. Gerdman was an employee of Black Hawk Electric. He was electrocuted while working on some lighting at the foundry division of the John Deere Waterloo Works. He was found unconscious at 11:30 a.m. Gerdman was then taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A state medical examiner has ruled that Chris Turney died of electrocution. The 24-year-old Des Moines man collapsed last Wednesday while working at a Hy-Vee store under construction at College Square Mall in Cedar Falls. Turney was employed by Kline Electric of Ankeny, which was hired to install electrical wiring at the new store. This happened just a week earlier than the incident at the John Deere plant.This week, OSHA cited Sinton Dairy Foods Co. LLC in Colorado Springs, Colo., for one alleged willful and four alleged serious violations of federal health and safety standards and has proposed $50,575 in penalties. The alleged serious violations address electrical hazards as well as operating and mechanical integrity procedures for ammonia systems. Osha issues a serious citation when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which an employer knew or should have known (osha.com)
What's your opinion on this topic? Could these two unfortunate accidents be "freak accidents"and this OSHA citation be a coincidence or is there indeed a significant lack of training regarding electricity hazards? Leave your comments below.
Sources:
www.osha.gov
www.injuryboard.com
"Worker dies at John Deere plant in Waterloo." Quad-City Times. 5 Aug. 2009. Web. 12 Aug. 2009.
"Worker dies at John Deere plant in Waterloo." Action News.com. 5 Aug. 2009. Web. 12 Aug. 2009.
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