Electrical accidents claimed six lives in the district, including four commoners and two contract staff of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), besides injuring nine in the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal.
High population density and the almost omnipresent overhead electrical lines owing to near-total electrification are being cited as the reasons behind electrical accidents in the district. Aluva and Kothamangalam taluks have been found to be more prone to such accidents.
“On an average, 30 people die every year because of electrical accidents in the district. Last year, 38 deaths were reported and over 300 were injured,” Deputy Chief Electrical Inspector V.K. Sagar told The Hindu .
With the floods affecting power lines, transformers and posts, chances of such accidents are more now. Commoners are the worst hit. For instance, among the 38 casualties last year, 29 were ordinary people.
“Often, deaths happen when people accidentally come into contact with snapped overhead electrical lines or while using poles carelessly. There had also been instances in which workers engaged in tress work got electrocuted when some protruding iron parts of the structure came into contact with overhead lines. The absence of circuit breaker boards in homes is another reason,” said Mr. Sagar.
A solution
The implementation of the proposed amendment to the Central Electricity Authority (Measures Relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulation, 2010, recommending replacement of overhead lines with insulated cables is being pointed out as a foolproof solution though its execution may cost the government dear. When it comes to KSEB staff and contract workers, violation of safety norms is one of the major reasons behind casualties. The recent electrocution of a KSEB contract staff at Elamkulam while working on an electrical post without switching off the supply was a case in point.
“Even when the supply to a line is switched off, the possibility of the line getting accidentally charged cannot be ruled out. So it is important to erect earth guards on either side of the point where workers are engaged so that such accidental activation of supply does not prove fatal,” he said.
While workers are supposed to have safety gadgets like helmets and belts, at times they are done away with for ease of working.
