FRESNO -- State Compensation Insurance Fund and the California Utility Public Safety Alliance will jointly sponsor a safety seminar about the dangers of working near overhead and underground gas and electrical lines on August 22 in Fresno. The seminar - “Contractor Beware: Safety around Overhead and Underground Gas and Electric Lines” - is offered free-of-charge. It is specifically designed for contractors and workers in the agricultural and construction industries.

When a worker or the equipment he or she is using comes into contact with an overhead electrical line, a shock can occur that can lead to severe burns or death. 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, combine tractors, 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 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. The seminar will focus on explaining the dangers involved when working around overhead electrical and underground gas lines and how to avoid making costly and tragic mistakes. The seminar will also address what to do if an accident does occur at the work location.

The featured speaker at the seminar will be Pat Sisneros who is a Pacific Gas & Electric (PG & E) Safety Consultant. Sisneros will conduct the English and Spanish sessions.

The seminar will be held at State Fund’s Fresno District Office, 10 River Park Place East, 1st Floor Conference Room. The seminar schedule is as follows:

Construction

• 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. (English)
• 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (Spanish)

Agriculture

• 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (English)
• 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (Spanish)

To register for the seminar, please call Monika Flores at (559) 433-2688, or send a fax to her attention at (559) 433-2620. To register via email, please email mlflores@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 event is sponsored by the Western Regional Master Builders Association, Golden State Builders Exchanges, and the California Farm Bureau Federation.

The Fresno 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 carriers.

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

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