A local electrical contractor could have prevented a 44-year-old foreman from being electrocuted during storm recovery efforts at Coaling by taking critical safety measures to protect his workers, a recent U.S. Department of Labor investigation found.

Investigators with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) learned that the foreman was part of a three-person crew used by Dexter Fortson Associates Inc. To restore distribution power to a series of natural gas pumps. While trying to replace the broken switch, the foreman was fatally electrocuted by voltage in energized overhead power lines. OSHA inspectors later learned that the switch had been activated when the accident occurred.

“Electrical work is inherently dangerous, and employers in the industry must ensure basic safety standards are met to prevent a needless tragedy like this,” said Joel Pattiz, OSHA district director in Birmingham, Ala. “Now family, friends and co-workers are left in distress.” “Sadness. This is a terrible loss.”

OSHA investigators determined that the company exposed employees to electrical hazards, when investigators found that the employer:

Allow the use of expired electrical protective equipment. Ensuring workers are able to recognize and address electrical hazards before starting work has been neglected. Failed to supervise workers and conduct inspections on an annual basis. Did not provide adequate briefings on work hazards, work procedures involved, special precautions, energy source controls, and required personal protective equipment. Live line tools are permitted to work on live power lines that should have been removed from service every two years. Allow workers to use tools within nine inches of an energized disconnect switch and attempt to work on a broken disconnect switch without ensuring that all equipment is properly powered down as required by safety regulations. Failed to ensure equipment is de-energized.

Additionally, OSHA found that the employer failed to inspect the worksite to identify potential hazards before employees performed repairs and maintenance on overhead power lines, which was a serious violation.

OSHA issued the employer seven serious violations, a non-serious violation, and proposed fines of $84,789.

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Volkswagen is recalling a small number of ID.4 electric vehicles that may have improperly installed airbags.

The recall covers just 837 vehicles from the 2023 and 2024 model years. In those vehicles, the nuts that secure the front passenger primary airbag inflator may have been left loose at the factory. This could cause the airbags to inflate incorrectly, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

2024 Volkswagen ID.4

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that car owners may hear a rattling sound on the dashboard if the nuts that hold the airbag inflator in place are loose.

Dealers will check the torque of the airbag inflator bolts, and replace the airbag if they find the bolts are loose, free of charge. Volkswagen plans to begin sending notification letters to owners on Oct. 18. Owners can also contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 for more information.

2024 Volkswagen ID.4

Volkswagen also recently issued a much larger recall of 98,806 ID.4 EVs from the 2021 to 2024 model years due to improperly manufactured door handles. The door handle issue has prompted a stop-sale order and halt of production of the ID.4 until a fix is ​​implemented. Affected vehicles may have door handles with inadequate sealing, which could allow water to seep into the printed circuit board and cause the doors to open unexpectedly. This follows a recall announced earlier this year for 2021-2023 ID.4 models that addresses issues with the instrument cluster and infotainment systems.

Launched for 2021, the ID.4 gets significant upgrades for 2024, including more range and improved infotainment hardware that appears to address many of the issues Green Car Reports found with previous models. However, those improvements come with a price increase that has eroded the VW’s value somewhat. Still, the Tennessee assembly is at least keeping the $7,500 federal electric vehicle tax credit for models with locally sourced batteries.

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The Fisker Ocean has been recalled again, this time due to an issue that could lead to an unexpected decrease in regenerative braking.

The recall covers 7,745 2023 and 2024 Ocean electric SUVs (the only two Ocean models sold before Fisker filed for bankruptcy). According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, software issues in these vehicles could reduce regenerative braking when decelerating over bumps.

Fisker Ocean 2023

Drivers can still access the friction brakes, and they reset to “normal operation” after 740 milliseconds, according to recall documents. However, drivers may have to press the brake pedal unexpectedly due to the reduced regeneration rate. Fisker is aware of one injury related to this issue.

Fisker will issue an over-the-air software update to address this issue. It plans to send notice letters to owners on October 14, 2024, but in the meantime, owners can contact Fisker customer service at 1-844-347-5371. Fisker’s reference number for this recall is TSB10062408.

Fisker Ocean 2023

This is the fifth Ocean recall in its short production run, though only three of the recalls apply to 2023 and 2024 models. That includes a recall of 8,204 vehicles in the U.S. to address stuck door handles that could prevent doors from opening. Assembly and some development work has been contracted to Magna, which built the Ocean at its facility in Graz, Austria, along with the also-discontinued Jaguar I-Pace.

Production was slow to ramp up, and once it did, slowing sales left Fisker vulnerable. In July, the bankrupt automaker asked the judge overseeing its Chapter 11 proceedings for permission to sell the remaining cars to a leasing company for $14,000 each. In a postmortem, Green Car Reports found that the Ocean was frozen in beta, with a sleek design but incomplete tech features due to software updates that may never come.

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