Report: Faulty wiring caused dog’s electrocution
Sometime before a dog was electrocuted and died after stepping on an energized sidewalk plate in Squirrel Hill earlier this year, an inspector surveyed the area but could find no signs of an electrical current, Pittsburgh officials said Monday.
The incident happened Jan. 7 on the pedestrian walkway portion of the Murray Avenue Bridge. The metal plate was the lid to an electrical box within the bridge’s walkway.
City spokeswoman Olga George said in a statement that 311 received at least one report about the electrified metal lid prior to the Jan. 7 incident, and an inspector was sent to “investigate the incident.”
“The inspector walked the bridge and examined all metal plates looking for signs of electrical current but could not locate it,” according to the statement.
Ms. George wrote that the inspector assumed the city got the location wrong. Because the 311 call was
anonymous, she said, there was no way get more information.
But, according to a report from TopStep 1964 Consulting, the metal lid was electrified — just not to the extent that a grown adult wearing shoes could have felt it.
The report, dated March 22, blamed a faulty ground wire.
The ground wire was bad in that it wasn’t actually connected to any grounding attachment, according to the report.
A grounding attachment provides a route for excess electricity in a system to flow into the ground and safely dissipate.
The wire eventually deteriorated and detached from its protective housing and came into contact with the metal lid to the electrical box, according to the report, allowing for a “low voltage current flow.” Though the feed for the electrical system comes from a Duquesne Light pole, the system itself is owned by the city.
When the dog’s paw touched the metal lid, it’s
likely that other paws were still touching the ground around the box, according to the report. That allowed for a complete electrical circuit.
“The city understands now that due to the low level of voltage, a full grown adult with proper clothing would have been less likely to detect the current,” Ms. George wrote in the city’s statement.
City officials did not respond to a list of detailed questions posed by the PostGazette, including questions regarding when the original 311 call was received and when the inspector was sent to the area.
The city also did not elaborate on what the initial inspection entailed, saying only that in the future “these types of calls will be routed directly to the electricians who have the proper equipment to detect electrical current and the ability to make repairs to the junction box.”
It was not clear whether that means city-employed electricians or third-party professionals.