Islamabad, Mar 2, 2025: The National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) has been fined Rs. 10 million by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) for its negligence in causing two workplace fatalities.
On October 24, 2022, electrician Zain ul Abedeen passed away at the 500-kV Dadu Grid Station while carrying out routine maintenance. This was the first incidence. The second death occurred on March 15, 2023, when Khair Bux, LM-II, was killed while Guddu-Shikarpur Circuit-I was being rehabilitated.
In both incidents, Nepra discovered significant violations of safety procedures, reporting guidelines, and monitoring.NTDC violated reporting standards by delaying the submission of Preliminary Inquiry Reports for eight months in spite of many directives.
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According to Nepra’s inquiry, there was insufficient supervision, a lack of appropriate safety equipment (PPEs), disregard for established safety procedures as major contributors to the mishaps .The unfortunate accidents were also caused by the failure of NTDC field units, such as the Line Supervisor and permit issuers, to implement safety measures.
Concerns regarding managerial oversight and contractor involvement in NTDC’s operations were also raised by NTDC employees doing contractor-assigned responsibilities. Safety risks were also raised when the company worked on double circuit transmission lines without using a voltage detector for induction voltage.
NTDC justified its activities by claiming that all operational duties adhered to safety protocols; nevertheless, Nepra’s findings refuted this assertion. NTDC is required by Nepra’s Power Safety Code 2021 to perform job safety analyses and risk assessments, however the company was unable to prove compliance.
Nepra identified several infractions of the Nepra Act, Grid Code, and Safety Code, noting insufficient training and supervision, even though it accepted NTDC’s justification for renting a crane.
