SpokeswomenKelly Whitaker tells TradeWinds that there was, however, an arc flash involvingits ‘Goliath’ gantry crane.
Shealso confirmed that an employee was rushed to the burn unit at a local hospitalas a result of the electrical explosion.
Whilelocal news outlets reported that two workers were injured and claim one wastrapped inside the crane when the blast occurred Whitaker says this was not thecase.
Theextent of the burn victim’s injuries is still unclear and Aker Philadelphia wasnot immediately prepared to comment about how badly the crane was damaged.
Localsources tell TradeWinds that the Philadelphia Fire Marshal, Occupational Safety& Health Administration (OSHA) and other agencies are participating in an ongoinginvestigation into the cause of the incident.
SeveralPhiladelphia television stations claim there was electrical work being performedon the crane when the blast occurred at around 7:30 am but this could not beimmediately verified at the time of writing Wednesday evening.
According to OSHA, arc flashes can be deadlyand the organisation notes its “not uncommon for an injured employee to never regain their pastquality of life”, which is why some victims have seen medical bills surpass themillion-dollar mark.
In a brochure that can be accessed infull by clicking on the link located under the Related Media section to theright of this article, the agency says “typical results” of an arc flashinclude burns, fire, flying objects and heat as high as 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit(19,400 degrees Celsius).
