UPDATE: TVA completed the investigation into what caused two contracted workers to be burned at the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant.
The incident happened on March 16.
Two Day and Zimmermann electricians were burned by an arc flash, or electrical explosion, near the cooling towers.
Both workers were taken to a hospital.
TVA officials say the incident was not due to any equipment or plant-related issues, but involved improper work in an electrical cabinet.
Here is the entire statement from the Tennessee Valley Authority:
"A team of Day and Zimmermann, TVA and industry professionals recently completed an investigation of a March arc flash incident that injured two Day and Zimmermann employees at the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant. The team determined that the incident was not due to any equipment or plant-related issues, but involved improper access and work in an electrical cabinet.
TVA takes the safety of employees and contract team members working at our facilities very seriously. We've taken a number of immediate steps to prevent a recurrence of this event, including communicating the results of the investigation with personnel and increasing the direct oversight of maintenance activities to ensure all required safety standards and procedures are properly followed.
We send our best wishes to the injured individuals and their families for their continued recovery. Additional questions about their status should be directed to Day and Zimmermann."
Stay with the WRCB app for updates to this story.
PREVIOUS UPDATE: Two workers who were injured at TVA's Sequoyah Nuclear Plant last week continue to recover.
The workers, whose names have not been released, were electricians contracted by TVA.
A TVA spokesperson said the workers were burned Friday by an arc flash, which is a type of electrical explosion.
The workers' employer, Day & Zimmermann, released the following statement to Channel 3 on Wednesday:
“Our thoughts continue to be with the workers and their families at this difficult time," marketing vice president Sharon Ferruccio said. "Both are receiving medical treatment."
"To protect their privacy, we cannot release any further details about their condition, but we hope for their quick recovery,” added Ferruccio.
Channel 3 is working to learn more.
Stay with WRCBtv.com for updates to this story.
PREVIOUS STORY: An investigation is underway at TVA's Sequoya Nuclear Plant after two people were burned Friday.
Malinda Hunter with TVA's media relations team told Channel 3 two contract electricians were burned by an arc flash.
The two workers were transported off-site. Channel 3 does not know their current conditions.
The arc flash happened in an electrical area near the cooling towers. The area was away from the reactor and power generating side of the plant.
TVA released the following statement about the incident:
"TVA is investigating an incident that occurred Friday, March 16, at Sequoyah Nuclear Plant in which two contract electricians were burned by an ARC flash. We have suspended similar work activities across the fleet until we have a full understanding of the cause.
The incident occurred away from the reactor and power generating side of the plant, and there are no public or nuclear safety concerns. Both Sequoyah Unit 1 and 2 remain online.
Our thoughts are with the injured workers and their families. TVA’s primary focus is on the safety of employees, contractors and the public. As such we are investigating the incident to prevent recurrence. We will provide updates as appropriate.
Because the individuals are contract workers, information on their status must be provided by their employer, Day & Zimmermann."
Channel 3 has reached out to the company that employes the workers, Day & Zimmermann. They sent us the following statement:
"Two Day & Zimmermann employees sustained burns while conducting work at Sequoyah Nuclear Plant on March 16th. Our immediate thoughts are with the workers and their families at this difficult time. Both are receiving treatment at a local medical facility. To protect their privacy, we cannot release any further details about their condition, but we hope for their quick recovery. We will provide updates when possible.
It is always our goal to send all of our workers home safe every day. We have already begun an investigation into the incident to prevent recurrence, and all similar work on the site has been suspended until a cause is identified.”
We will keep you updated on this developing story.
