Cupertino Electric, Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Oct 2, 2012: Worker is injured when struck by falling light fixture

On October 2, 2012, Employee #1, of Cupertino Electric Inc., was working to inst all a light fixture. He was attempting to install bolts to secure a 20-foot ligh t pole and fixture. The pole and fixture were suspended by mule tape attached to the fixture, which was made of cast metal. The fixture fractured and, as a resu lt, fell from the pole. It struck the head of Employee #1, who was wearing a har dhat as he worked below. Employee #1 required hospitalization and treatment for bruises/contusions/abrasions.

Incident on Nov 10, 2009: Employee fractures leg in fall from ladder

On November 10, 2009, Employee #1 was trimming a tree branch and fell from a lad der. Employee #1 apparently sustained a fracture to one or both legs, and he was hospitalized. No other details were provided in the narrative.

Incident on Aug 7, 2007: Employee's finger injured in fall, later amputated

At approximately 2:50 p.m. on August 7, 2007, Employee #1 had just finished inst alling clips for electrical conduits. He was descending the ladder when he lost his balance. As he fell, his hand became entangled with a data cable pull string . He sustained injuries to his right ring finger and was transported to St. Loui se Hospital in Hollister, CA, where his finger was surgically amputated.

Incident on Jul 31, 2007: Employee injured when struck in leg by falling wooden spool

On July 31, 2007, Employee #1 was working near a rough terrain forklift that was carrying a wooden spool of electrical wire. The spool rolled off the forks and struck him on the leg. Employee#1 sustained serious injuries, for which he was h ospitalized.

Incident on Oct 28, 2006: Employee burned in arc flash between battery banks

On October 28, 2006, Employee #1, a supervisor and project manager for Cupertino Electric, was part of a crew performing a scheduled wire pulling operation to p repare for a full factory startup testing phase procedure. In the "battery room" of the facility, a factory splice was missing between two 2-volt batteries in a 500-volt bank of batteries. Employee #1 attempted to install a jumper (a piece of cable with lugs on each end) between the two batteries. When the jumper made contact with the battery, the circuit was completed, resulting in an arc flash a nd blast. Employee #1 suffered second- and third-degree burns to his hands and a rms and first- and second-degree burns to his chest, upper abdomen, neck, and fa ce. Subsequent investigation determined that (1) the cables from battery strings 3A and 3B were not landed properly on the line side of the breakers; (2) batter y string 3B was connected so that the polarity was the opposite of the field ins tallation drawing; (3) because of the above two issues, there was a potential di rect current voltage between the two points being connected; (4) a missing facto ry splice plate during the battery installation caused a gap; (5) no set of writ ten instructions--referred to as a method of procedure--was created, written, or provided to the personnel working on the energized equipment and parts necessar y for the factory startup test, a violation of T8CCR 2320.2(a)(2); and (6) Emplo yee #1 was working alone in the battery distribution room. Since he was a superv isor, he was considered under Title #8 California Code of Regulations as the "au thorized" person to work on energized systems. Referencing items #1, #2, #3, and #4, this substantiated a violation of Section 3328(f). Employee #1 attempted to modify the improper installation of the battery system using a jumper that was not a factory-authorized part. He and supervisory personnel later stated that he had not performed a potential test of the electrical current on the equipment a nd had not treated the system as energized. In addition, Employee #1 did not wea r suitable personal protective equipment for working on energized equipment. A t est on the energized equipment would have warned him of the potential current; a pproved insulated gloves and a flame-retardant top, would have protected him fro m an arc flash.

Incident on May 11, 2006: Employee is injured in fall from ladder

At approximately 8:00 a.m. on May 11, 2006, Employee #1, an apprentice electrici an for an electrical contractor, was assisting in the remodeling of a retail clo thing store. He was working from a fiberglass 10-foot stepladder, standing one s tep below the top cap, facing the stepladder, to push a mechanical cable away fr om a light fixture. The pushing action caused the ladder to tip over, causing th e ladder and Employee #1 to fall in the opposite direction. Employee #1 was hosp italized and treated for a broken fibula and ankle, as well as a dislocated ankl e with ligament damage.

Incident on Aug 5, 1999: Employee injured when scissor lift tips over

Employee #1 was operating a scissor lift with the platform extended approximatel y 10 ft high on a concrete floor. As he was driving around column Number 7 he wa s looking down to locate holes in the floor. A tire went into a hole approximate ly 8-in. by 15-in. and 6 inches deep. The scissor lift tipped over and he was ho spitalized with a fractured elbow.

Incident on Aug 18, 1997: Burn - electrical fault in bus duct

An electrician was checking a tap switch that was to be installed on a bus duct riser in an electrical closet. He removed an outer cover plate and then an inner oval inspection plate. The 480-volt buses inside the enclosure were energized. An electrical fault occurred, and the ensuing electric arc burned the employee. (He had no recollection of the accident.) The employee was hospitalized with sec ond- and third-degree burns to his face, neck, eyes, hands, and arms.

Incident on Apr 8, 1996: Employee's fingers severed in table saw

On April 8, 1996, a foreman at Cupertino Electric instructed Employee #1 to cut wood pieces for a scaffold gusset shelf as follows: two 24 in. square pieces, tw o 6 in. by 24 in. pieces, and 4 triangle gussets between 5 and 7 in. Employee #1 used a table saw in the hallway, near the door to an office area. He decided to remove the hood guard because the fingers in the back of the guard were causing problems. At approximately 3:00 p.m., Employee #1 had his left hand on a meter guide and on the corner of a triangular piece of wood he was cutting. He was usi ng a push stick to move the wood into the blade when his right hand slipped off the stick and struck against the blade, severing three fingers.

Incident on Aug 15, 1994: Employee's eye injured when struck by flying hose

At 10:30 a.m. on August 5, 1994, Employee #1 was attempting to pull a measuring line through a conduit. The fish tape he was using was not long enough so he wen t to the store trailer to obtain a vacuum cleaner. For some reason, Employee #1 picked up a carbon dioxide cylinder. It discharged, and the hose attached to it struck his right eye. Employee #1 was transported by ambulance to Los Robles Hos pital for treatment. The pin that secured the trigger was found next to the cyli nder; witnesses stated that the bottle was frequently stored with the pin in it.