NV Energy Vehicle Incident: On February 11, an incident at Nevada Energy happened when an employee who was ill with a respiratory infection was driving and experienced a coughing fit that caused him to go unconscious and drive off the road. The passenger in the vehicle was able to grab the wheel and direct the vehicle off the road in a somewhat controlled manner, taking out 75’ of guardrail and cyclone fence before coming to a stop. Neither person was injured. There have been other reported incidences where people coughing or sneezing lost control of vehicles by losing consciousness. Risk for these types of incidences can be reduced by not coming to work sick.
Tree Trimmer Cut by Chainsaw: On February 1, a tree employee was injured in Watsonville when he was cut by a chainsaw. The worker was pulling brush in the proximity of another worker who was operating the chainsaw when the saw operator made contact and severely cut the employees wrist. At the time of the incident, the injured worker was holding a branch to be cut. Business Representative Jaime Tinoco reported that an interview with the employee showed that the crew had been working for two days continuously when the accident happened. The injured employee was in the hospital for two days and then released. CalOSHA was notified of the incident.
–Rich Lane, IBEW 1245 Safety Rep