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Building inspectors in the three counties surrounding Smith Mountain Lake have developed new guidance to residents and vacationers urging them to be careful of stray voltage in the water, particularly around older docks with electric boat lifts. They also have instituted new policies in an effort to prevent any future tragedies.

A teenager from Colorado drowned in July after he was shocked while swimming around the dock of a lakefront home in Huddleston. According to reports, the teen was seen in distress in the water and a witnesses jumped in the water to help him. A second witness cut power to the dock when the helper mentioned that they were being shocked.

Jesse Hamric, a talented athlete with a passion for snowboarding, had just graduated from high school in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and was vacationing at the lake with his family at the time of his death.

John Broughton, building official for Franklin County, said he met with inspectors from Bedford and Pittsylvania counties just a few days after the incident to discuss changes to inspections going forward. They immediately began work on changes to guidelines to prevent future tragedies.

鈥淲e decided from that meeting to move forward with a best practices guide and code reference,鈥� Broughton said.

Those changes were put in place in August in Bedford County and in September in Franklin County.

With the start of a new summer season, Broughton is working with inspectors to get the new information out. Information has been provided to area dock builders of new rules and guidelines were sent out to lake organizations such as the Tri-County Lakes Administrative Commission to disperse to the public.

At the top of the list of best practices: a warning against swimming around a dock with a boat lift cradle submerged or touching the water. Broughton said a majority of stray voltage can be found when a lift cradle is in the water.

In an inspection of the dock where the teen drowned last year, Broughton said more than 116 volts of electricity were found in the water emanating from the dock鈥檚 metal boat lift cradle while it was in the water. He said the cradle was in the water at the time of the drowning.

Broughton said electric shock drowning can occur in water that has as little as six volts running through it. The amount is just enough current to cause paralysis of the muscles and can lead to drowning.

Since stray electricity is more likely to cause muscle paralysis that leads to drowning, the list also encourages individuals to wear life jackets while swimming around a dock. Others should also know where you are when swimming alone, the list continues.

While a dock may seem safe, Broughton said it best to wear a life jacket. Stray voltage cannot be seen and could be present in the water around any dock.

鈥淎lways assume that there is stray voltage present,鈥� Broughton said.

The list also asks that dock owners use only listed and labeled marine grade extension cords around a dock and they should never touch the water. They should also be unplugged when swimming around the dock.

Ground fault circuit interrupters should be tested regularly to assure they are working correctly. They can protect against stray electricity by cutting off the flow of electricity if a ground fault is detected.

The new guidance also recommends that dock electrical systems should be inspected every three to five years. Broughton said the dock where the drowning occurred had not been inspected in some time.

In addition to the new guidance developed by the inspectors, new electrical installation requirements have now been put in place for any new docks going forward. Broughton said one of the main new rules is an emergency cut-off panel at the dock. For some lake docks the cut off is all the way at the home, preventing quick access in an emergency.

The new electrical installation requirements put a greater emphasis on grounding to prevent stray voltage from going into the water. All ground bars used must be approved and not make shift.

New docks must also have signage on approach from the land or water that warns of a potential shock hazard. Broughton said this will let people such as vacationers know about the dangers who may not spend a lot of time around a dock.

Jason Turner, president of Turner鈥檚 Dock Building, said his crews have built multiple docks in the past few months according to the newly established rules in the three counties. He questions if some of the rules may be overkill.

Turner agrees that stray voltage around docks should be a concern for residents at Smith Mountain Lake, but questions if the additional rules are a good solution. He said older docks that are not up to current safety standards are often the biggest contributor to stray voltage.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 address the problem of the old docks,鈥� Turner said.

Similar to Broughton, Turner agrees that a dock鈥檚 electrical system should be inspected by a licensed electrician every few years to assure it is as safe as possible. Even then, he warns that stray voltage can be almost impossible to completely remove.

Turner said he has had crew members test the water around docks and find stray voltage even when power has been cut to the dock. The stray electricity can come from the docks of neighbors or even from boats.

鈥淪tray voltage can come from anywhere,鈥� Turner said.

He recalled hearing about stray voltage going into the water from a faulty refrigerator in a home鈥檚 basement. The electricity was somehow bleeding through the lines into the dock and to the water.

The unusual paths electricity can take also makes it hard to track down. Turner said finding the source of stray voltage around a dock can be difficult, if not impossible.

鈥淚t can cost you thousands of dollars to try and find out where it is coming from,鈥� Turner said. In some of those cases, the culprit may never be found.

Turner said one of the most important things a dock owner can do is make sure a dock鈥檚 ground fault circuit interrupter鈥檚 breakers are working properly by checking them yearly, if not monthly. This can be done by hitting the test button for each of the breakers in the electrical panel to make sure they turn off. If the breaker doesn鈥檛 trip or the reset button doesn鈥檛 pop out, the breaker may be defective.

鈥淭hat is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself and your family to be safe,鈥� Turner said.

While there are concerns with the new inspection rules, Broughton said he has received no pushback from the community concerning the new guidance for residents.

Broughton wants members of the public to have all the information available to them so they can be safe while swimming this summer. He said the new rules are not to prevent them from going into the water, they are only to educate the public about stray voltage and help prevent stray voltage from going into the water.

Even with the new guidance and rules, Broughton warns that there is no way to guarantee a dock is safe. He encourages those swimming around docks to take all necessary precautions.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there is ever going to be a 100% fix for it, because when you have water and you have electricity, you have the potential for an accident,鈥� Broughton said.