Explosion at Kimberley substation injures four municipal workers

What happened

An explosion occurred at the substation in Hercules Street, Kimberley, on 13 May 2024 while electricians were attending to a cable fault. Four Sol Plaatje municipal workers were hospitalised. One remained in critical condition with severe burn wounds; the other three were reported out of danger. Power was fully restored after the faulty cables were repaired and a new ring main unit was installed. The Department of Labour attended to assess the incident.

Contributing factors

Faulty cables were identified as the cause of the explosion.

Lessons learned

1. Cable faults at substations should be isolated before repair work proceeds.
2. Maintenance on live or recently faulted equipment needs controls that limit burn injury if a fault escalates.
3. Inspection of cables and ring main units can reduce the chance of a fault becoming an explosion.

Source

ofm.co.za