Serious Injuries and Fatalities (SIFs)

Research and information exchanges on distribution safety and work practices aimed at reducing serious events

The objective of this research is to identify ways to reduce SIFs.

Workshops

Workshops on SIFs are being held to exchange lessons learned on approaches to reduce SIFs. Workshops include presentations of SIFs and/or pSIFs (potential SIFs / near misses). Specific practices are reviewed. Attendees brainstorm approaches to reduce SIFs, including programs to change culture, increase awareness, change practices, and evaluate new technologies. Attendees will develop a set of questions that can be brought home to use as a self review for a utility.

Upcoming Meetings

  • Distribution SIFs workshop–July 30, 2024, in Charlotte, NC. Held in conjunction with the EPRI Occupational Health and Safety Conference (7/31 - 8/1). Registration and information here.
  • Underground SIFs workshop–Fall of 2024. Host site and date are to be determined. Held in conjunction with the North American Dense Urban Utilities Working Group (NADUUWG).

Past Meetings

  • Overhead SIFs–April 4, 2023 in Charlotte, NC. See here for results.
  • Underground SIFs–November 9, 2023 in San Antonio, TX, hosted by CPS Energy. See here for results.

SIFs Library

We are starting a library of SIFs and pSIFs. Documentation also includes the following review questions and improvement options generated in brainstorming sessions with utility participants.

This library is a way to exchange information on hazards with different equipment and scenarios.

The EEI has several ongoing efforts focused on SIFs (https://powertopreventsif.com). As part of that work, they evaluated trends in injuries and fatalities as shown in Figure 1. While the industry has made progress on injury rates, the most severe events have a relatively flat trend rate. More industry work will be needed to make an impact and improve rates of SIFs.

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Figure 1: Power generation and delivery injury and fatality trends (EEI, 2023)

Research has shown that SIFs are often caused by high energy, either electrical, mechanical, or chemical. For distribution work, many of these high-energy hazards are present. The goal of this research is to focus on hazards specific to distribution work. Then, ways to reduce risks through direct controls or other measures. The focus on this research is practices and technologiest that can make an impact on SIFs.

  1. Safety Classification and Learning (SCL) Model, Edison Electrical Institute, 2023. https://www.esafetyline.net/IPDDocs/EEI/eeiSCLmodel.pdf ↩︎

SIFs Event Library

Events submitted by utilities and reviewed by utility peers

2023 Overhead Distribution Serious Injury and Fatality (SIF) Workshop

Workshop to discuss ways to reduce SIFs

2023 Underground Distribution Serious Injury and Fatality (SIF) Workshop

Workshop to discuss ways to reduce SIFs