WALVIS BAY – There are currently no punitive measures in place for electrical injuries and incidents in the electricity distribution sector, despite several Namibians being injured or dying while on duty over the years.
This was highlighted yesterday by senior engineer for power supply at the Electricity Control Board (ECB), Lameka Amuanyena, during the 11th technical conference of the Association of Electricity Distribution Undertakings in Namibia (AEDU) underway in Walvis
Bay.
AEDU is the national focal point for electricity distributors and suppliers who have a direct interest in the energy supply network, and was held under the theme ‘Unified Industry Approach’, where safety and fatalities were also discussed.
At least two workers in the industry have died so far in Namibia this year. Last month, Nored employee Thomas Shikomba (34) fell to his death while working on an electric cable in Okahao in the Omusati region. It is alleged that Shikomba was not wearing any safety gear.
Andries Oberholzer, an employee of the Hopsol solar power company, died in Febuary this year while connecting a NamPower-owned solar power plant to a substation near Omaruru in the Erongo region.
According to Amuanyena, some distributors do not notify the ECB of such while they (ECB) are obliged to report such incidents to the mines and energy ministry.
“It is a requirement that all licensees report electrical- related incidents and deaths to the ECB within seven days, as alluded to by the technical rules. However, we only learn about these incidents when they are reported in the media,” he said.
Due to this, a notice was issued to all licensees to comply because most of the licensees are at the moment not reporting, and punitive measures are also not taken.
He added that they issued notifications in April for distributors to comply as it is compulsory for all to report incidents or fatalities to the ECB.
“We are reviewing our technical rules, but will also see what possible punitive measures we need to put in place for our distributors because the ministry comes to us when something happens,” he stressed.
According to him, the distributors should be able to give them a brief summary once an accident occurs, and should also be able to give the ECB a detailed report once they conclude their investigations.
Cenored CEO Robert Kahimise, who also attended the conference, said safety is the core value of electricity distribution operations.
“Electricity is a very dangerous but vital commodity, and safety is a must in terms of compliance. We should consistently comply with the licence commissioners,” he noted.
He added that Cenored adopted South Africa’s National Occupational Safety Association (NOSA) rating and takes the safety of its employees very seriously, hence did not report any injuries during their last assessment.
Caption: (Electricity)