I wanted to keep track of some the deaths that happened in coal power plants. Paper rich does not mean safe.

1. Coal Power Plant Fatalities

2. Aug 2017
•Shippingport PA
•Two dead
• Enerfab workers were doing contract
work with Penn Energy at the plant.
•They were working in a well-type area to
remove an elbow joint from a pipe.
•Two men were in a pit below, one was on
a ladder and the other two were about 20
to 50 feet on a wall above.
•When they removed the elbow joint, it
released hydrogen sulfide gas.
•“The line was not supposed to be charged,
obviously. They got to the last bolt to crack
it open and when they did so, this
nauseous gas…hydrogen sulfide type
mixture immediately incapacitates you,”
State Police Lt. Eric Hermick said.

3. June 2017
•Tampa FL
•Inspectors determined that the
employees were burned when a
blockage inside a coal-fired
furnace broke free and spewed
molten slag into the work area.
•5 Employees of Tampa Electric,
Gaffin Industrial Services, and
Brace Integrated Services Inc.
died in the incident.
•$160,972

4. December 2011
• Ameren Ue in Labadie, MO
• Employee #1 was conducting maintenance on a soot-blower
lancer that was bent due to excessive heat of the boiler at a
coal-fired electric power plant .
• The task required a crew of two to rotate the lancer with a drill
fitted with a 24” extension rod, which was then inserted into
the lancer port.
• Employee #1 attempted to rotate the lancer, but the drill
kicked back and struck her on the chest.
• Employee #2 asked Employee #1 if she was okay and if she
wanted him to take over the task.
• She shook her right wrist, replied that she was okay and
proceeded to rotate the lancer.
• Again, the drill kicked back and struck her on the head,
knocking her hardhat off.
• Employee #1 slumped down to the floor, rolled to her right and
leaned her head between the toe board and the mid rail, and
fell approx 80 ft off the platform.
Soot Blower

5. January 2011
• Aee Palo Seco in Toa Baja, PR
• Employee #1, a mechanic, was working at a
thermoelectric plant performing maintenance
on a furnace. As Employee #1 opened the hatch
of the furnace vapor recycler, he was suctioned
and struck his head on a portion of the furnace.
• The furnace had been shut down four days
earlier to allow for the unit temperature to cool
in preparation for the maintenance. However,
during the cool-down process, the air molecules
contracted. This created a negative pressure
inside the furnace system, which caused a
suctioning effect when Employee #1 opened the
furnace hatch.
• Employee #1 suffered a concussion from the
force at which he struck his head, and died.

6. Feb 2010
•Middletown CT
•5 dead
•$16.6 million OSHA fine
•On Feb. 7, a gas blow operation was
being performed in which flammable
natural gas was pumped under high
pressure through new fuel gas lines to
remove debris.
•During this operation, an extremely
large amount of natural gas was vented
into areas where it could not easily
disperse.
Welding and other work was being performed
nearby, creating an extremely dangerous
situation. The explosion occurred when the gas
contacted an ignition source.

7. December 2010
• Calpine Corporation in Bethlehem, PA
• A supervisor at an electric power generation plant was
working in an area that was undergoing work by a
construction crew.
• The crew was rebuilding turbine chambers, which called
for the removal of the roof of the building and all of the
floor grates around the chamber.
• At the time of the accident, the work was almost
completed, and about 90 percent of the floor grates had
been replaced.
• According to a surveillance camera, the employee had
climbed a 4.6-meter ladder to reach the area,
apparently gated, where he was assigned to replace a
spark rod.
• He fell through a floor opening, 6.1 meters above grade,
and sustained massive head trauma. He died of his
injuries.
Typical grate opening

8. August 2009
• Jersey Central Power & Light Company in
Wrightstown, NJ
• On August 10, 2009, a crew of seven employees
was performing routine maintenance on breaker
T98 of a substation. The T98 breaker had been
tagged out, switched, and grounded on both
sides.
• Employee #1 received an electrical shock when
he accessed breaker S19, which had not been
tagged out, switched, or grounded. He sustained
second and third degree burns to over 80 percent
of his body.
• Employee #1 was transported to a burn unit. A
coma was induced, and he remained in that state
until his death on August 16, 2009.

9. July 2009
• Covanta Montgomery, Inc in Dickerson, MD
• On July 31, 2009, Employee #1, an engineer, was
inspecting the installation of an ammonia tank and a
pump at a power plant. The pump skid was to be
installed on a platform with a 4 ft by 8 ft floor
opening in it.
• Employee #1 and an operations supervisor were on
a platform to review the specifications of the floor
opening and to observe the setting of the ammonia
tank.
• While observing the crane setting the ammonia tank
up, Employee #1 stepped backwards and fell
through the opening approximately 6 ft to a
concrete pit.
• He sustained head injuries and died three days later.

10. January 2009
• Arizona Public Service Co in
Fruitland, NM
• At approximately 3:30pm on
January 13, 2009, Employee #1,
a Power Plant Operator, was
killed when a 4-ft by 6-ft lagging
section (environmental control
equipment) — which was filled
with fly ash — collapsed.
• He died from asphyxia.

11. June 2008
• Baltimore Gas And Electric Company in
Sykesville, MD
• Employee #1 was working on an
insulation project at the power plant
on the 1c Scrubber fan.
• The fan chamber that Employee #1
was working in became energized.
• The force of the air trapped Employee
#1 causing his death by suffocation.

12. November 2007
• Allegheny Energy Supply in
Masontown, PA
• On November 4, 2007, an
employee was operating a
Caterpillar D-9 dozer.
• The dozer tipped and fell
over on its side. The
employee became buried in
the coal that was coming out
of the doors to the Number 3
lowering well.
• The employee died from
asphyxiation from coal dust.

13. August 2007
• Camden County Energy
Recovery Corp in Camden, NJ
• On August 10, 2007, Employee
#1 was crossing an indoor work
area.
• He was struck by and run over
by a loader that was backing
up.
• Employee #1 was killed.

14. May 2007
• Kansas City Power & Light Company in Weston, MO
• A pipe that was carrying boiler water at 350
degrees Fahrenheit and 2,500 pounds of pressure
ruptured unexpectedly at a coal fired electric
generating station.
• Several employees were working a few yards away,
unplugging wet coal in a pulverizer.
• Employee #1 was struck by the water and steam
and was killed immediately.
• The other two nearby employees were severely
burned:
• Employee #2 died of burns in the hospital a day
later.
• Employee #3 was hospitalized.

15. April 2007
• Mirant Chalk Point in Aquasco, MD
• Employee #1, a plant fuel and ash technician, was
performing the duties of a train brakeman during a coal
unloading operation at a municipal power plant.
• As empty cars moved out, Employee #1 made sure
couplers were locked.
• He was in radio contact with the train operator, who
was operating both the train and the car dumper device.
• In his last radio transmission, Employee #1 stated that
he was going to check a coupling. Radio contact with
him was lost.
• Employee #1 was found lying unconscious between rails
under the train he was working on. He was evacuated
by air to Prince Georges County Shock Trauma, where
he died during surgery.

16. November 2007
• Dominion Energy New
England in Salem, MA
• On November 6, 2007,
Employees #1, #2 and #3
were killed when a boiler
tube ruptured on them.

17. February 2006
• Florida Power & Light Company in Ft Myers, FL
• Employee #1 and Employee #2 were assigned to
do a maintenance inspection and surveillance at
a power generation plant.
• On the way down after performing their
assignment, both employees were on the top set
of stairs when the bracket connecting the top set
of stairs broke.
• The top set of stairs fell onto the set of stairs
underneath. The two sets of stairs gave way and
the employees fell to a landing approximately 20
ft below.
• Employee #1 received a cut to the neck during
the fall, which resulted in his death.
• Employee #2 broke a finger and suffered cuts
and scrapes.
• Employee #2 was treated and released.

18. December 2006
• Nstar Electric and Gas Corp in
Cambridge, MA
• On December 8, 2006, Employee #1
and a coworker were energizing a 480
volt transformer when it exploded and
caught fire.
• They tried to evacuate the room as
soon as they heard a noise coming
from the transformer.
• The coworker made it out; however,
firefighters found Employee #1
unconscious in a room adjacent to the
transformer.
• Employee #1 died of smoke inhalation.

19. July 2005
• South Central Power Company
in Bainbridge, OH
• On July 12, 2005, Employee #1
and Employee #2 were
troubleshooting a meter.
• As Employee #1 pulled a
terminal lug to switch it, he was
electrocuted.
• Employee #2 went and got high
voltage gloves to pull Employee
#1 out of the circuit.

20. Top Violations
•Combustible Dust
•Lockout
•Electrical Safety Training
•Process Safety
•Emergency Response
•Ammonia
•Struck by Equipment
•Noise
•Arc Flash
•Molten Ash/slag
•Falls
•Confined Space
•FR clothing
•Conveyors

21. Best Practice
•Managers trained in 30 hour
safety for Coal Plants
•Housekeeping
•Outside Set of Eyes
•Wetting and Ventilation
•Hazmat Training
•FR clothing
•Contractor Safety Program
•Hazard recognition inspections
•Emergency incident drills
•A risk assessment conducted and
reviewed by a CSP and CIH.
•Facility-specific internal audit
process
•Noise Sampling
•Monthly Training for managers
•Change Management Process
•Monthly audits and inspections

22. Thank You
•This is a first draft
•We learn from experience and
this summary is missing in the
industry.
•Please feel to send me any
corrections at
johnanewquist@gmail.com
•John Newquist
•815-354-6953
•Linkedin