The number of KSEB employees getting electrocuted has been increasing over the years. In 2014, 13 permanent employees and 16 contract workers were killed due to electrocution. A day ago, two contract workers in Kollam met their ends after being electrocuted.
One can easily see that the deaths happen because of negligence. Often permanent employees of the KSEB are electrocuted because of grave negligence. Permanent workers are allowed to work on electric lines only after adhering to established norms and safety precautions. For example, all workers are expected to wear safety belts because most deaths happen when workers are thrown off the post and sustain injuries to their head.
When it comes to contract workers, accidents happen because of faulty or inadequate supervision. As per law, they cannot work on electric lines on their own and need to be supervised by a permanent employee. While the supervisor need to ensure that lines are disconnected and the work is completed, they often leave the scene after issuing instructions. The recent deaths in Kollam happened because someone plugged back the fuse. Who did it? One has to assume that the work was delegated to workers who were not knowledgeable enough to complete the job.
Lack of quality and established standards also lead to the death of common people. For example, 94 people died in 2014 because of such lapses. It is unfortunate that those who work on electric lines and those who make them work, do not know their tasks properly.
For example, the section fuse, if removed, has to cut off power to a particular area and should blow out if an accident happens. This happens very rarely now. Similarly, neutral grounding is required after six posts and is very important to ensure security of the people. If the fuse has to blow off, proper grounding is required. Technically qualified officers who need to ensure these standards are often deputed to administrative jobs, which ensures that such important safeguards are bypassed.
To ensure operational safety, a handbook of safety standards was recently upgraded and published. It is mandatory that contract workers should know about what it prescribes. However, nothing of that sort happens now. Clubbed with workers who lack quality, shortage of workers exposes such workers to bigger professional risks and the board is not being responsible when it allows such lapses.
Unions most often discard the dead and support the living without considering who was responsible for the accident. Loss of life due to negligence has to be treated at par with homicide. However, it is very rare that the culprits are brought before the law. Unions work together to protect those who are responsible. This has to stop.
(The author is a retired KSEB senior executive engineer and former general secretary of KSEB officers' association.)
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