Man found dead beside Johor substation, electrocution from cable theft suspected

What happened

An unidentified man was found dead early in the morning on the road shoulder beside a Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) substation in Felda Adela, near Sungai Rengit, Kota Tinggi, Johor. Police said the death is believed to be an electric shock while the man was attempting to cut live cabling at the site. An emergency call through the MERS 999 system was logged at 6.46am reporting an unconscious individual. Police found the body about one metre from the substation and about 20 metres from the main road.

Investigators recovered tools suspected to have been used in the attempted cable theft, including a small hoe, a cordless grinder, a steel hammer, a pipe wrench and a headlamp. The man carried no identification, and police were working to establish his identity and confirm the official cause of death. The body was taken to the Kota Tinggi Hospital forensic unit for a post-mortem, and the case was classified as a sudden death report.

Contributing factors

Police initial findings suggest the man may have been attempting to steal power cables when he received an electric shock from live cabling. The official cause of death is pending. No information has been published on the substation's perimeter security, alarms or any detection of the intrusion before the death.

Lessons learned

1. Substation perimeters and cable routes should be inspected for signs of intrusion, and intrusion alarms should be linked to the operator's control room.
2. Live cable and conductor areas should carry clear warning signage and be secured against unauthorised access, since cable theft can expose people to lethal shock.
3. Operators should work with police and local communities to report and deter cable theft, and should brief emergency responders on the hazards at energised sites.

More lessons on detection and monitoring, theft, arson and site security, from every incident on the register.

Source

asiaone.com