NAPA/SAN FRANCISCO – State Compensation Insurance Fund and the California Utility Public Safety Alliance will jointly sponsor a safety seminar highlighting the dangers of working near overhead and underground utilities including gas and electric lines on November 1 in Napa. The seminar ‘Contractor Beware: Safety around Overhead and Underground Gas and Electric Lines,’ is free of charge.

According to the National Institute for 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.

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.

In order to prevent death and serious injury, contractors and employees working around natural gas and power lines need to follow safe practices and procedures to identify these hazards in advance. “We hope attendees will walk away with a better understanding about the many risks involved with overhead and underground gas and electric lines,” said George Schauer, PG & E Construction Superintendent and one of the seminar’s featured speakers. “The seminar will explain how to avoid making costly and tragic mistakes and talk about what to do if an accident does occur at the work location.” Also speaking at the seminar is Troy Bard, PG & E Construction Supervisor.

The seminar will be held at the Solano-Napa Builders Exchange, 135 Camino Dorado, Napa and includes the following schedule: Construction: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Agriculture: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

To register, please call Grace Virrey at (925) 523-5617 or send fax to (925) 416-4617 or email at msvirrey@scif.com. Registration can also be done online.

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 Napa seminar is part of State Fund’s Employer Education Series, a broad spectrum of informative presentations offered throughout the state to help employers create safe workplaces. State Fund has the largest safety and health services program among California workers’ compensation insurance carriers.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Established by the California Legislature in 1914, San Francisco-based State Compensation Insurance Fund is a self-supporting, nonprofit, fairly competitive public enterprise that provides workers’ compensation insurance coverage at cost to California employers.