The federal government has fined Universal $11,585 after an employee received a severe electrical shock during routine maintenance at Epic Universe’s new Harry Potter ride.
The employee at the Harry Potter and the Battle of the Ministry ride was hurt by a 480-volt busbar on April 24 — after Epic Universe had already been constructed and was open for guest previews ahead of the official May 22 public grand debut.
The unidentified employee was hospitalized at Orlando Health in downtown Orlando after being “severely shocked.” The employee’s upper arm and “numerous ribs” were fractured, and a shoulder was dislocated as well, according to records released by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from a Florida Politics record request.
The employee was injured at 7:22 a.m., so the incident occurred before the park likely opened for the day.
For the Harry Potter ride vehicles, the busbar — typically a thick strip that distributes power to multiple circuits in electrical systems — was not locked as required, according to an OSHA summary of the incident.
The ride vehicle “is normally locked out in three places, and the electrical circuit to the buss bar that powers (the ride vehicle) is normally locked out during this procedure,” the OSHA record said.
The OSHA report does not include an update on the employee’s health condition. Universal Orlando did not respond to questions or provide a comment for this story.
Florida State University Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering Peter Cheetham reviewed the OSHA records at Florida Politics’ request.
“It appears the worker did not follow safety protocol and did not de-energize the electrical circuit before working on it. The circuit, being a 480V 3-phase, would have created an electrical arc or shock at some point when he started working on it. I’m guessing he either touched two of the busbars (which are typically a bare piece of copper) or he touched one of the busbars while also holding onto something or standing on something which was at ground potential,” Cheetham said in an email. “The report does not give enough details to know exactly what type of electric shock happened and there is also not specifics on the ampacity which would describe how bad the shock would be.”
OSHA investigated the worker’s injury, conducted a site visit and found “no unusual circumstances encountered … such as abatement problems, expected contest and/or negative employer attitude.”
Universal’s fine was originally $16,550, but Universal and OSHA negotiated it down to $11,585 in an informal settlement.
Situations involving electrical shocks can be dangerous.
“Electric shocks, depending on certain conditions, can be fatal, even at relatively low voltages,” OSHA says in an electrical safety guide. “The amount of time that an electrical current lasts has a great influence in the severity of the injuries. If the electric current has a short duration, then it may just cause pain. If the electric shock is longer, then it can be fatal, even if the voltage is not very high.”
Universal opened Epic Universe this year, impressing guests with its immersive lands themed in Super Nintendo World, “How to Train Your Dragon,” and Harry Potter.
But the park also already experienced a tragedy in the early months. Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, a guest with disabilities, was killed after riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster. Universal and Rodriguez Zavala’s family lawyer, Ben Crump, announced a settlement had been reached this week.
It’s not the first time OSHA has investigated Universal for electric-related injuries.
A handful of visitors and Universal employees received electrical shocks at Universal’s Volcano Bay water park in 2019, although no one appeared to be seriously injured. The incident was later attributed to electrical defects during the water park’s construction. OSHA did not issue a fine to Universal for that incident.
