An electrical arc flash critically injured several workers in Morley, Australia.
High Energy Service Pty Ltd was conducting work in the vicinity of the Morley Galleria shopping centre, where their employees and subcontractors were injured in an electrical explosion.
Regrettably, two people died during the incident. One was confirmed dead at the scene, while another worker died at a nearby hospital after suffering 80% burns on his body. The other two workers who were with them are in critical condition at the same hospital.
Update: The cause of the arc flash was due to a short circuit in the equipment. If the equipment had been de-energized prior to maintenance, the lives of these workers would not have been taken.
Though the equipment was designed to have maintenance performed on it while it was still live; it’s always better to de-energize equipment before performing any type of maintenance. While it may be an inconvenience to do so, it’s always better to be safe than to risk your life. Regulators have issued new safety precautions proceeding the investigation.
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