BAKERSFIELD/SAN FRANCISCO – State Compensation Insurance Fund and the California Utility Public Safety Alliance will jointly sponsor a safety seminar targeting the dangers of working near overhead and underground utilities including gas and electrical lines, on October 11 in Bakersfield. The seminar ‘Contractor Beware: Safety Around Overhead and Underground Gas and Electric Lines’ is offered free-of-charge. It is designed for workers and contractors in the agricultural and construction industries so that they can avoid making costly mistakes that can lead to death or injury as well as financial liability.

According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), electrocutions from contact with overhead power lines result in an average of 128 work-related fatalities each year. Agricultural workers are particularly subject to the hazards of electricity because tall equipment, such as grain augers, combines and raised dump truck beds can become entangled in overhead power lines. The National Agricultural Safety Database reports that more than 60 electrocutions per year occur on farms. Overhead lines can be electric, telephone or cable television.

If a worker strikes an underground gas line, it can cause an explosion that can kill or injure workers as well as others in the vicinity. Hitting an underground electric line can cause power outages, and can also shock or kill equipment operators. In addition, contractors who do not protect underground facilities during excavations may be held financially liable for damages.

The seminar will focus on explaining the dangers involved when working around overhead electrical and underground gas lines, and how to avoid these dangers, and what to do if an accident does occur at the work location.

Featured speaker is Charles Basham, Manager of Public Safety for Southern California Edison (SCE).

The seminar will be held at State Fund’s Bakersfield District Office, 9801 Camino Media, Bakersfield. The seminar schedule is as follows:

Construction: 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.

Agriculture: 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

To register, please call Fern Mesa at (661) 664-4050, or send a fax to (661) 664-4100 or email at fjmesa@scif.com.

The State Fund seminar is supported by a coalition of public utility companies: Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, City of Anaheim, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, California Public Utilities Commission – Utilities Safety & Reliability Branch, San Diego Gas and Electric, Southern California Gas Company, and IID Energy, a division of Imperial Irrigation District.

The Bakersfield seminar is part of a series of educational programs State Compensation Insurance Fund is holding throughout the state in order to help employers create safe workplaces. State Fund has the largest safety and health services program among California workers’ compensation insurance carrier.

Additional seminars in this series of educational programs are also available.