Last week, a generator exploded on a Pennsylvania construction site where workers were busy on a project designed to connect a local canal to a river in an effort to boost water quality for the Philadelphia area. Six construction workers were critically injured in that blast, which happened in the mid-afternoon near a work storage trailer. Read, “6 People Injured in Generator Explosion in Pa.,” written by Emily Ann Jackman and published by Penn Live on October 6, 2023; and “6 critically injured in Manayunk generator explosion, police say,” written by KYW Staff and published by KYW Radio Philadelphia on October 6, 2023.
All of these explosion victims were employed by a separate construction company from that of the project’s general contractor. For more on employer liability in construction accidents read our earlier discussions in Who Can Be Held Liable for Construction Worker Accidents? and Multiple Employers on the Construction Site: Who Is Liable For Construction Worker Accidents?
Generators on Industrial Worksites
Generators are widely known for their use on camping trips as RV power sources and as an alternative energy source for homes suffering power outages due to bad weather conditions. These small, residential and personal use portable generators have their own set of risks with a great danger of people suffering fatal injuries from the inhalation of carbon monoxide given off by the generator. For more, read “How to Avoid Carbon Monoxide Poisoning While Warming Your Home,” written by Courtney Lewis and published by Popular Mechanics on February 18, 2021.
However, generators designed for use on industrial worksites are very different from the small units sold at the local big box store. For a variety of industrial concerns, huge and powerful generators are a daily, vital part of doing business. These behemoths come with their own distinct risks of severe bodily injury or death for anyone on that job site.
Commercial generators on an industrial site can be larger than many buildings, with an installed fuel tank to provide its own energy needs. Resembling large metal boxes, they can be transported around as required on trailer beds, or set stationary on the industrial site.
Industries in our part of the country that find commercial generators important to their operations include:
1. Agri-Business (Farms, Ranches)
When there is a power outage, commercial generators can save crops and animals during harsh conditions. Commercial generators are also needed in rural locations where more permanent power sources are not available, such as irrigation systems or barns.
2. Construction
Diesel generators are needed to provide power on-site to all sorts of machinery and equipment, including water pumps, ventilation, and more at most commercial construction sites. Moving generators are used to power all sorts of power tools around the worksite, including saws, drills, and welding equipment.
Generators are critical for road construction crews, where working at night can be extremely dangerous. Generators on road construction sites in Illinois and Indiana can be used to power light towers to help workers and passing drivers see their surroundings.
3. Food Processing and Production
In the event of a power outage, commercial generators in food processing and production plants can keep temperatures stable as well as maintaining communications, ovens, loading banks, and more.
4. Mining
Generators are vital to mining operations. Most of the mine’s energy comes from its commercial generators which provide power to things like excavators and drills.
5. Telecommunications
For continued power supplies to cell phone towers, switching facilities, and other aspects of the telecommunication industry, commercial generators are necessary to fill the gap in energy needs when there is an outage and repairs are in progress.
6. Tourism and Public Events
Hotels, resorts, state fairs, even zoos need commercial generators at the ready to provide heat or cooling as well as maintaining lighting, security cameras, door locks, and more in the event of a loss of standard power sources.
7. Warehouses and Distribution Centers
Commercial generators provide power for warehousing and distribution facilities when there is a power outage or where there are areas that have insufficient power provided to them. Refrigeration needs necessitate having huge generator backup power at the ready to protect perishables. Security needs will also need generator support should there be an outage at the facility.
For more, read “5 Industries That Need Portable Commercial Generators,” written by Alexander Joe and published by Market Business News on November 20, 2020; “Surprising Industries That Use Backup Generators,” published by Generator Source; “Electrical Power Systems for Warehouses,“ published by East Coast Power Systems; and “When and Where Are Generators Used? 14 Examples,” published by WorldWide Power Products.
Range of Injuries in an Industrial Site Generator Accident
Workers face all sorts of risks when working near a commercial generator on any industrial worksite. All these generators (as well as their smaller counterparts) are essentially internal combustion engines designed to create and to supply energy. The dangers are many; consider that:
- Commercial generators must have a fuel source, usually diesel, which comes with its own severe risks of harm.
- Generators on industrial sites must provide power through wiring, circuits, and the like, which also comes with serious hazards.
- Workers tasked with using commercial generators, or with moving them as well as housekeeping chores (cleaning, maintaining, or repairing) can face dangers of bodily injury similar to that found with working on any piece of large industrial machinery or equipment.
Industrial workers can suffer injuries on the job from commercial generators that include:
- Burns from Fire
- Electrocution from Exposed Live Wire or Shock
- Hearing Loss / Ruptured Ear Drums from High Frequency Noise
- Incapacitating Scarring and Disfigurement
- Internal Organ Damage from Electric Shock or Burns
- Loss of Use of Limb from Crushing or Burns (Amputation).
For more, read: Explosions and Fires on Construction Sites in Illinois or Indiana; Electricity Injuries: Fatal Electrocution Accidents; and Traumatic Amputations in Industrial Accidents.
Legal Duty of Safety and Care to Protect Against Generator Accident Injuries
Any worker on an industrial site where there is a commercial generator has the right to expect they will be kept safe from harm while on the job from any generator-related accidents. Their immediate employer as well as others with possession, custody, or control of aspects of that worksite have legal responsibilities to keep everyone safe from harm on that workplace. See, e.g., 2-Hr Generator Safety Awareness Module 1 – Fixed Industrial Generators, published by the Center for Construction Research and Training.
These duties include doing things like:
- Having management and supervisors trained and alert to the risks and hazards of the generator on the site and prepared to take any and all safety measures in the event of danger;
- Inspecting the generators routinely to make sure things are all in proper working condition (no damage; no loose lines or live wires; etc.);
- Making sure there are no fluids on or near the generator, from puddles after a rain to leaking fuel from the generator itself or other places on the site;
- Properly stored fuel sources at the appropriate distance from the generator itself;
- Training all workers working on or near the generator in its risks and hazards, such as fueling procedures; and proper methods for shutting down and turning on generator power;
- Confirming proper ventilation for the generator’s fuel system and its fuel storage;
- Providing appropriate personal protective equipment for all workers tasked with working on or near the generator at any time; and
- Established safety procedures with coordinated training on the steps to take in the event of a commercial generator accident on site, including steps for safe rescue; location of fire extinguishers and site alarms; etc.
Workers Hurt in Generator Related Accident in Illinois or Indiana
After someone is hurt on the job in an accident involving a generator on the worksite, that worker and their family members may have legal claims for justice against one or more parties who have legal responsibility for what has happened.
Claims for damages may be available not only against their immediate employer who signs their paycheck, but for other contractors and companies on the industrial site as well as the manufacturer of the generator itself, along with its installer, seller, or maintenance company.
State laws involving workers compensation; negligence; defective products; product liability; premises liability; and more may be available as a basis for these legal claims. Damages may cover things like immediate medical expenses; long term care costs; pain and suffering; rehab; psychological help; lost wages; lost earning capacity; and more.
Read:
- Wrongful Death Damages After Fatal Work Accidents in Illinois or Indiana
- Catastrophic Injuries in an Accident: Damages for the Loss of a Normal Life
- Who Can Claim Damages After a Work Accident in Indiana or Illinois?
Generators can be found on most industrial worksites in Indiana and Illinois. While the risk of a sudden explosion as happened recently in Pennsylvania is not as likely as a fire or electrical shock, the dangers for all these power sources are serious and apparent on our worksites. Failures to meet legal duties of care and safety by the powers-that-be can have life-altering consequences in events that happen in an instant. Please be careful out there!
