Two more agencies have adopted ordinances requiring inspections on docks involved in a transfer of ownership due to the sale of real estate.
In December 2013, the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District Board of Directors unanimously approved the new requirement and at their regular monthly meeting in March 2014, trustees of the Village of Four Seasons did the same. The ordinance adopted by the Village, which took over all dock inspections within that municipality in October 2012, went into effect immediately; LOFPD’s ordinance kicked in January 1, 2014. Under the law, a copy of the inspection approval must be submitted with the permit transfer application to Ameren Missouri.
The newly approved dock inspection ordinances, which are patterned after one adopted last year by the Osage Beach Fire Protection District, will not affect condominiums with multiple slip docks that are tied to an association. The permits will be good for one year.
“It’s just another tool we can use to get docks in compliance that otherwise would continue to slide by year after year, possibly developing issues that would make them dangerous or even life-threatening. Some people may look at inspections as just more government intrusion in their lives but they’re actually all about making the Lake safer for everyone,” said Robert Davis, chief building official for the Village.
In 2006, two years after an Olathe man died when he was shocked by a dock cable and fell into the water, the Osage Beach, Lake Ozark, Mid County and Sunrise Beach fire protection districts partnered with Ameren Missouri to institute a dock inspection program at the Lake. The program required electrical inspections and permits for:
·All newly installed private boat docks equipped with electric power;
·When revisions were made to existing docks; or
·When those docks were relocated.
Then on July 4, 2012, a 13-year-old girl and her 8-year-old brother died while swimming at the family’s vacation home in the Gravois Arm of Lake of the Ozarks. During its investigation, the Missouri State Water Patrol found that the dock did not have a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) at the at the dock’s juncture with the seawall. GFCIs prevent shocks in case of short circuits. A few days later, a 26-year-old Hazelwood woman died in an unrelated but similar incident. The Water Patrol cited faulty wiring in that incident. Earlier in the year, thanks to quick-thinking witnesses, three other swimmers survived electric shock on a dock without a GFCI and in a similar situation in June 2012 two children and one adult were shocked as they swam near a dock near the 5 mile mark of the Osage.
Soon after, calls for complimentary dock safety inspections poured in. According to Ameren, there are some 25,000 docks on Lake of the Ozarks. Most were installed prior to 2006.
Osage Beach Fire Marshal Ed Nicholson, Lake Ozark Fire Marshal Jim Doyle and Davis said during the course of those initial inspections, they found that approximately 75 percent didn’t comply with the latest set of safety guidelines that required GFCIs on all outlets; a disconnect at the shoreline; properly grounded circuits; and in-use covers on all electrical outlets.
“You can’t believe some of the things we’ve found (in the Village). I honestly don’t know why more people haven’t been hurt or killed because the wiring on some of these docks is atrocious,” Davis said. “What’s even worse is that you can take care of your dock, but if your neighbor doesn’t take care of his, you can still be injured or killed.”
According to Underwriter Laboratories, a global independent safety science company, electric current travels 2 feet per volt. The standard voltage for dock wiring is 120 volts. Using that formula, electric current can be felt as far away as 240 feet.
In a 2013 interview, Osage Beach Fire Protection District Chief Jeff Dorhauer said although the existing inspections were good, because they didn’t cover all docks, additional steps needed to be taken to provide a safe environment for residents and visitors. That’s when the board of directors decided to adopt the ordinance requiring inspections on docks involved in a transfer of ownership due to the sale of real estate.
And Nicholson said although the latest inspection requirements for docks are a step in the right direction, he hopes the Lake community will take the push for dock safety further.
“If the public came in with a petition carrying 10,000 signatures of people who wanted to implement regular inspections of all docks, we’d have to take that seriously. However, until we see a public referendum, that’s probably not going to happen,” he said.
In the meantime, inspectors advised that to help the residential-sale inspection process move more smoothly, sellers should order the needed dock inspections before the property is listed – not when it sells.
“Depending on our workload, we can normally get a dock inspected and prepare the paperwork in 60 days. Informed buyers might stipulate in the contract that the dock has to pass inspection to close – and nobody is going to want that kind of delay,” Nicholson said. “In most cases, we’re seeing sellers calling electricians out to get the dock to code, then calling us to inspect it and sign off.”
On their website, Ameren provides electrical installation requirements, a wiring diagram and a checklist for docks. The information is available at http://www.ameren.com/sites/aue/lakeoftheozarks/Pages/DockElectricalInstallations.aspx.
The Lake of the Ozarks Business Journal provided this news story to LakeExpo.com for republication. For a hard copy, pick up The Lake of the Ozarks Business Journal at newsstands across the Lake area. The Lake of the Ozarks Business Journal is a respected monthly news magazine providing accurate, relevant news and information to area readers.
