Dangerous Docks at LOTO???
 

I live close to LOTO and we have lost 2 small children and one adult in two separate accidents with electricity on docks at LOTO. I am just a regular joe and don't have a lot of money or political pull, but I would encourage any of you that have more pull or maybe some way of creating action to consider a push to have Docks inspected at LOTO and in the rest of the United States. My understanding is there is no inspections required,, local news is running news clip here in a few minutes about the safety precautions needed for electricity on Docks at LOTO. I'm not trying to blame anyone, just trying to make a great weekend at the lake safe instead of tragic. LOTO subjects its docks to a tremendous amount of stresses due to the large amount of waves from all directions and the sometimes rough winters. I feel these may be the largest contributors to wiring failures combined with old age and old electrical circuitry without ground fault. I don't know much about electricity but I have seen 4 to 5 people killed at LOTO in the last 10 years due to electricution. Be Safe

All dock power should be required to have a GFCI breaker before the power comes off the shore as well.

I feel for those that have died but............Swimming in a marina is incredibly stupid, it would be less foolish to swim in an active shipping channel. How many times have you seen a "captain" make multiple attempts to put a boat in a slip??? The last thing a guy needs who is struggling to dock his boat is to worry about some swimmers in the area.


and I'm sorry but I'm tired of seeing these types of things........Darwin had it right. We are breeding a population that can't even process thoughts of self-preservation. Instead we expect some regulation to protect us from our own stupidity.

I can only speak for myself but when we had our dock built there were wiring specifications from Amern we had to meet and we had to have the dock inspected by Camden County Fire Protection before we were issued a permit.

The specs can be found here:

http://www.ameren.com/sites/aue/lake...allations.aspx

If Ameren wants to have an annual inspection that's fine. Figure about 2 hours to do each dock, 50,000 man hours a year to do it, required to be done by the fire district per Ameren rules. It will be an industry unto itself. I bet 2 hours is light when you figure inspection, paper work, documenting your dock file at Ameren, repairs, renspection and so on.

Not saying it's a bad idea, just saying it's not an easy or cheap thing to do.

If you are talking about the deaths at LOTO you need to understand it has nothing to do with marinas. There are 25,000 private docks on the lake and these deaths occured at private residences.

The dock where the kids died did not have GFCI protection nor was the dock grounded to land to a grounding rod.

I know if it was my dock & my friends & family were going to be in or near the water, I would make damn sure it was done right before anyone got near the water!!!

People need to be smart about things!


WwW

PS, rather than an inspection program, it would probably be cheaper in the long run to make all docks convert to a 12v low voltage system. Cant' cost anymore than making all the white foam go away. Give everyone a decade to convert, will need to be some thought put into lift blowers and such but I'm sure they have the technology to make it happen.

As Stated all Private Doc's
 

I agree an inspection program would be a large cost to everyone. I doubt the parents friends and family of the deceased would have issue with the cost. I am glad to hear that Ameren required permits and inspections. I REALLY Like the 12V idea. With new docks having inspections maybe its more of a problem for un-inspected docks or older docks. Maybe the owners should be required to pay for the initial inspection and after that there could be a 5 year rotation for dock inspections by Ameren/County Fire etc. All I'm saying is, the lake is a place we should all leave with good memories and alive. I appreciate everyones comments. There is a solution we just have to come up with one that is Safe, economical, and efficient. As a avid boater I really wouldn't have a clue how to tell if a dock is safe or not.

I realize one poster was misinformed but generally speaking you don't see people swimming around marina's our Water Patrol wouldn't stand for it

What to look for isn't that difficult. GFCI outlets, a grounding wire attached to the ramp and bolted to a ground rod, boot straps at all the joints so you don't count on the hinges continuing the ground, and wiring should be in conduit. I feel badly like others for the families. But I'm also wary of trying to legislate people's ignorance. If you buy an older place or have one it is not hard to call an electrician and check it out. Most of these cases are with cobbled together do it yourself wiring. Why would anyone do that at a dock and put their families at risk.

I agree
 

To the point that I wouldn't want to over legislate, however as new visitors come to the lake they aren't aware of these dangers and are trusting that their friends/relatives that have invited them are providing a safe experience. That being said sometimes I wonder if the owners know if there docks are safe especially in those cases where the land/dock/cabin has been passed from one generation to the next. Maybe the back handed way of making things safe would be to campaign the publice to only swim around Safety Certified private docks that have a posted safety plackard. This way its more of a peer pressure thing.

I really appreciate the tips on checking a dock. THANKS!!! I know we are making a trip or two yet this year to private docks I have not seen before.

I think if a established and insured electrical contractor would advertise a dock inspection for a modest fee, say $75.00 or less, (this can't really take more than a hour on site), and then give a realistic bid to fix deficiencies, they would be overwhelmed with work. This would also give them repeat customers for other jobs if they were fair and did the job in a timely and professional manner. Seems like a no-brainer to me. It is a win/win for everyone and there is no downside for anyone. I would think insurance providers might want to offer a incentive ( inspection fee reimbursement for instance) upon completion of repairs, if any are needed.

This is not just a Lake of the Ozarks problem, but anywhere that there are docks on the water. It may show up more at LOTO, just because of the sheer number of docks lining the 1100 miles of shoreline.
Ameren (the utility that runs the lake) has great details on their website about how to correctly wire a dock.

Instruct everybody everywhere that if you feel a "tingle", swim away from that dock or boat.

Got a letter from Ameren Missouri today reminding everyone about safe wiring on docks or anywhere near water. Gave information on protective measures, links to more information etc. It reminds everyone to work with their local fire district and that doc owners are responsible for conducting routine inspections. Here is the site they send you to. If you want to know what to look for on a dock go to the check sheet link. I wonder how many ladders are grounded to the frame, let alone the frame grounded to a grounding rod. I had a new wet steps ladder installed last year and it had a cross piece welded to the frame and it was bolted into the cross piece and the frame.

http://www.ameren.com/sites/aue/lake...allations.aspx