| The stories are hard to forget: |
A
seven-year-old boy sneaks into a locked, unmanned substation.
There are no signs on the chainlink fence guarding this side
of the substation. As he begins to explore the equipment inside,
he makes contact with a high voltage switch gear and dies. |
A
10-year-old boy, left alone in his back yard, takes apart his
family's volleyball net. The boy attaches the two volleyball
stakes together and reaches up to the overhead lines. Both arms
and legs are blown off, yet he miraculously survives. |
A
non-English speaking construction worker, during his first day
on the job, does not realize that hard hats are required. Symbol
signs are not posted. As he climbs a ladder, a misguided nailgun
discharges and a nail penetrates his skull causing severe brain
damage. |
A
night shift maintenance worker, asked to do routine maintenance
on a plant's small generator, ventures too close to an electric
busing. An arc flashes over to a metal screwdriver he is carrying.
The worker is badly burned and becomes permanently disabled.
There is no sign or symbol warning against the specific use
of such a tool and the warning labels are not visible. |
Vandals
break into a metal box on the grounds of a housing project.
Finding little of value, They leave the lock broken and door
open. During the next day, an elderly women sees that the metal
box is open, but does not really know who to call and how dangerous
the metal box might be. The warning label on this box, which
in reality is a pad-mounted transformer, gives no telephone
number. During the time it takes to find out whose box this
is, a small girl ventures too close. She is badly burned and
loses both arms. |
A
radio station announces that there is good fishing near a dam
in the nearby river. The action of the water over the dam has
turned over the layers of water behind the dam and this has
brought many fish to the surface. A group of fishermen in a
small aluminum boat confirm that the broadcast was right and
the fish, indeed, are biting. But they are unaware of the effects
of a sudden surge of water over the dam. Danger signs were not
entirely visible from their seats. The surge causes their boat
to capsize and, even with life preservers on, they and their
boat are trapped in the swells beneath the water. All fishermen
drown. |