19-year-olds died after electrocution on the job and NC company is to blame, feds say
Two 19-year-olds were electrocuted on the job, and a North Carolina company could have prevented their deaths, federal officials said.
The U.S. Department of Labor cited Pike Electric LLC after it said the employer “failed to train workers to competently recognize electrical hazards and know the required safety procedures to address the existing hazards.”
The company is also accused of not taking proper steps before allowing the 19-year-old apprentices to repair power lines and of not having enough crew members trained to help with first aid when the workers were electrocuted last summer.
Months later, federal officials now want Pike Electric to pay a $43,506 fine for the alleged violations. The Mount Airy-based company didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ requests for comment on March 11.
The labor department said the apprentices were electrocuted when they tried to restore power on a “7,200-volt electric distribution line” in Adger, Alabama. At the time of the August 31 incident, forecasters said remnants from Tropical Cyclone Ida brought strong storms and wind damage to the central part of the state.
An investigation into the two workers’ deaths revealed “their employer might have prevented the incident by ensuring required safety standards were followed, and that adequate supervision and training was provided,” officials said.
“Two young people suffered fatal electrocution because Pike Electric LLC failed to meet their responsibility to ensure a safe and healthful workplace and ensure the proper supervision of new workers,” Ramona Morris, Birmingham director of the labor department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), said March 8 in a news release.
Pike Electric has 15 days from the date it received the citation to comply with the penalties. Otherwise, the company can meet with an OSHA representative or counter the claims, officials said.
On its website, Pike Electric LLC says it’s involved with “emergency storm restoration” and has electric services specializing “in the engineering, construction, maintenance and upgrade of transmission, distribution and substation infrastructure.” The company has a presence in Mount Airy, near the Virginia border and roughly 40 miles northwest of Winston-Salem.
Labor officials said 126 electricity-related workplace deaths were reported in 2020, and most people who aim to become electricians start out as apprentices.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 9:16 AM with the headline "19-year-olds died after electrocution on the job and NC company is to blame, feds say."
