Hazard ID 15: Fire Fighters Exposed to Electrical Hazards During Wildland Fire Operations

Details

• Journal Article:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Personal Author:
  Cortez, Kimberly L. ; Mezzanotte, Thomas P.
• Description:
  Among the various hazards fire fighters face are electrical hazards during wildland fire suppression activities. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that 10 fire fighters died from contact with electricity during wildland fires between 1980 and 1999 (this figure does not include lightning strikes) [NFPA 2001]. As part of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, NIOSH investigated two separate incidents in 1999 in which fire fighters died or were seriously injured from exposures to electricity while fighting wildland fires [NIOSH 1999a,b]. Fire fighters performing fireground operations near downed power lines may be exposed to electric shock hazards through the following means [NWCG 1998; IFSTA 1998b]: Electrical currents that flow through the ground and extend several feet (ground gradient) Contact with downed power lines that are still energized Overhead power lines that fall onto and energize conductive equipment and materials located on the fireground Smoke that becomes charged and conducts electrical current Solid-stream water applications on or around energized, downed power lines or equipment. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Content Notes:
  Kimberly L. Cortez and Thomas P. Mezzanotte.
  
  Includes bibliographical references.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Electric Injuries Electricity Firefighters Fires Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety Smoke Staff Development Wildfires

  More +
• Keywords:
  Fire-fighting; Fire-hazards; Electrical-hazards; Electricity; Smoke-control; Electrical-charge; Electric-power-transmission-lines; Fire-fighting-equipment; Personal-protection; Personal-protective-equipment; Protective-clothing; Protective-materials; Electrical-burns; Electric-properties; Training; Gloves; Safety-practices; Electrocutions
• Source:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2002-112, (HID 15) 2002 Jan; :1-4
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  4 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20022088
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2002
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:238247c7eddfd6e66c20de970bd82487770b4e16822c761591e7bbdb32302e6fafc2276a0bb624c3a964376fbfd01a7a293b1cb8a825c92e4057b8202719e7e9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/6058/cdc_6058_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 152.50 KB ]