The following claim shows that even state-of-the-art equipment is of little use unless basic steps are taken to make sure the system is operating properly.

Electrical Damage

A hospital had problems with its 2000 kva generator and its automatic switch over control during a thunderstorm. Repairs consisted of complete replacement of the switch over control and generator pack, which were damaged beyond repair. The generator was driven by a Cummins diesel engine; however, no damage to the engine was discovered. No other damage to the hospital’s electrical system was noted.

A Series Of Losses

Further investigation revealed this was the third similar occurrence at the six-month-old facility over the past four months. Each time a significant amount of damage occurred to the components of their electrical system, but never to the same equipment. The hospital had even sought assistance from an independent engineering firm to offer recommendations that may help avoid another incident. The engineering firm found no problems and had no recommendations based on their tests of the grounding system and the state-of -the-art surge protection controls the facility already had.

Lessons Learned

HSB completed its own assessment of the hospital’s electrical equipment. It found that although the facility had an elaborate grounding and surge protection system, it had never actually been properly connected to the electrical system for the hospital. The facility in fact had no protection from transient surges. A review of the design drawings revealed that no provision for connecting the system had been included.