The hazards faced by City Power’s employees and contractors have increased as a consequence of ongoing power disruptions.
According to City Power, 16 city power workers and seven contractors had workplace injuries during the 2022–2023 fiscal year.
The electricity provider had two accidents in January, one near Rooderpoort that resulted in one fatality and another in the heart of the city that resulted in one person suffering serious injuries.
The two were hurt electrically. One had burns to the flesh, while the other passed away from his wounds.
The injured contractor was sent to Helen Joseph Medical Center.
An inherent risk associated with being a contractor, according to City Power spokesman Isaac Mangena, is one that the utility prepares its customers for via stringent and highly regulated procedures.
“The data reveal that we have network or electrical incidents, primarily impacting contractors, on a quarterly basis. When it comes to working on our infrastructure, City Power has strong SHERQ [Safety Health Environment Risk & Quality] and technical regulations and procedures. All key stakeholders are given a thorough safety introduction and evaluation by qualified staff, he added.
Mangena stated: “Due to loadshedding, we are compelled to bring additional warm individuals to work and have some work throughout the night, switching power supply on and off every two hours. This puts the lives of contractors at danger every day.”
“This means that in order to run the substation, our employees must go to remote locations at horrible hours of the night, when they often face danger.
The rise in cable theft during load shedding, he said, “requires our staff to react when cable theft is detected, endangering their own safety. A shootout involving cable theft occurred only last month during load shedding along the double-decker motorway in Newtown.
Mangena stressed the importance of employee safety, stating: “It is quickly becoming hazardous for our personnel.
“In the past, our employees prayed before leaving each morning in the hopes of returning home without any mishaps related to electrical work.
This is the unfortunate reality that City Power finds itself in: “Recently, their prayer has altered to beg that they should withstand the assaults from citizens, who they are intended to serve.”
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