@ stevenal
The fatality I had referenced occurred in Kissimmee, FL inside a Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) substation and the worker who lost her life was a Reinhausen employee under contract with KUA. Only one person was killed. The other two were seriously burned but survived.
KUA's website lists the event but contains very little information about this tragedy so I submitted a public records request for any additionally information surrounding the event. KUA responded a couple of weeks later essentially claiming as a "municipal utility" they are not under the jurisdiction of OSHA therefore they have no investigation reports of the event then referred me to OSHA.
However, I was able to glean some information from various online sources that the fatality was somehow related to tap changer work activities on an energized 230kV to 69kV transmission XFMR. But none of the threads could tell me if the tap changer was an OLTC/LTC or DETC/NLTC type.
KUA's claim sounds a little odd to me. Every publicly and privately owned electric utility company I know of are all under OSHA's authority, either on the federal level or a through state plan. The mining industry is exempt from OSHA because they fall under MSHA and federal DOE facilities who have their own federal occupational safety and health oversight are also exempt from OSHA regulations. In any case, I think they’re mistaken.
I’ve run into this same erroneous belief within the nuclear industry as well with many individuals, from front line workers to managers adamantly claiming, “OSHA has no jurisdiction in nuclear power because we’re under the NRC!”. But when I show them a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between OSHA and the NRC pertaining to OSHA’s authority at licensed nuclear plants, their jaws drop wide open and their cockiness instantly evaporates.
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/mou/2013-09-06
At my nuclear power plant, all our large XFMRs are equipped with DETC/NLTC type tap changers so we’re going to secure them in place with a padlock and if the manufacturer’s warning labels/signs are faded or illegible then we’ll add our own warning labels to the locks.
As an administrative barrier, I’m also added some information into our electrical safety procedure that tap changers shall not be changed or manipulated while the XFMR is energized then cover this in our annual training of our electricians.
https://kua.com/news/transformer-explos ... ubstation/