Virginia Man Sustains Burn Injury at Work

Roanoke, VAIn a story that highlights the ever-present risk of injury within utility facilities, a Western Virginia man working for the state Water Authority was injured this past week in a freak burn accident at the Water Pollution Plant in Southeast Roanoke.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">The worker, as yet unnamed, sustained serious burns to his hand and forearm while tending a medium-voltage electrical panel that was experiencing an electrical arc flash. The man was rushed to a local hospital before being transferred to the University of Virginia Medical Center for burn Treatment.

The patient was discharged the next day.

Each year, people in the US experience roughly 2.4 million burn injuries, with 650,000 of these incidents resulting in serious skin and tissue injuries and between 8,000 and 12,000 resulting in death – making burn injuries the second leading cause of accidental death in the country.

The Water Pollution Plant employs safety crews 24 hours a day to better ensure the security of workers.