29-year-old worker dies after electrocution. Georgia company is to blame, feds say
A 29-year-old industrial insulation installer who loved the outdoors and was engaged to be married died after he fell through the top of a compartment and was electrocuted at a Tennessee power plant last year.
Now his employers are facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal fines.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, proposed more than $167,000 in fines and issued several violation notices to Williams Specialty Services, GUBMK Constructors and the Tennessee Valley Authority, which the agency said left workers vulnerable to falls and electrocution hazards.
OSHA is the federal agency tasked with enforcing and investigating workplace safety regulations and violations.
According to a U.S. Department of Labor March 22 news release, OSHA inspected the TVA Bull Run Fossil Plant in Clinton, Tennessee, after a workplace accident on Sept. 16, 2021. At around 8:45 a.m. that morning, WATE reported, an employee “made contact with an energized electrical circuit.” The paramedics were reportedly called but could not revive him.
OSHA said the worker fell five feet through the top of a metal electrical equipment compartment and was electrocuted. TVA identified him as Seth Black, a Williams Specialty Services contractor.
“Our continued thoughts and support are with his family and colleagues who were impacted by this tragic event,” TVA spokesperson Jim Hopson told McClatchy News in a statement.
Black was a “proud Local 46 mechanic,” the Insulators Union tweeted after his death. He reportedly joined the trade in 2015 and had recently been elected as a union trustee.
“He was a bright and lovable young man who will be greatly missed,” the union said.
Black lived in Spring City, Tennessee, but was originally from Ohio, according to his obituary. He left behind a mother, step-father and fiancé.
“Seth was an outdoorsman, enjoying kayaking, shooting and collecting guns. He was an avid fan of the Tennessee Volunteers sports teams,” his obituary states. “He will be greatly missed by so many, especially his family.”
What the OSHA inspection found
According to OSHA’s inspection report, Williams Specialty Services, GUBMK Constructors and TVA failed to determine whether the surfaces where employees were working “had the strength and structural integrity to support them safely.”
Williams Specialty Services, based in Tucker, Georgia, is a subsidiary of Williams Industrial, which provides construction and maintenance services in the industrial and energy sectors. GUBMK provides maintenance support to TVA at its fossil and hydroelectric plants, and the two teamed up for a joint venture to service TVA plants across the region.
A representative from Williams Industrial did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on March 23.
OSHA issued one willful and two serious violations against Williams Specialty Services, saying the company failed to provide “frequent and regular inspections of the job site.” Williams Specialty Services was also accused of failing to provide a stairway, ladder or any sort of ramp, runway or “personal hoist” in places where there was a break in elevation.
All three entities let workers walk on compartments that lacked structural integrity, making them susceptible to falls, OSHA said.
The agency has proposed a $152,900 penalty against Williams Specialty Services and a $14,502 penalty against GUBMK as a result.
TVA said OSHA’s findings were consistent with its investigation into the accident.
“We take them very seriously,” Hopson, TVA’s spokesperson, told McClatchy News. “TVA considers safety to be a core value and our overriding priority, and we did not meet that standard. We took immediate steps to prevent a recurrence following the event and have incorporated lessons learned into our work planning processes and facilities to prevent a similar incident in the future.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2022 at 10:35 AM with the headline "29-year-old worker dies after electrocution. Georgia company is to blame, feds say."
