OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14198717
E GI V,ELECTRICAL,ELECTRIC CABLE,ELECTROCUTED,ELECTRIC PUMP,GROUND FAULT,WET OPERATION,EQUIPMENT GROUNDING,WATER
Event description
ELECTRIC SHOCK - GROUND FAULT IN ELECTRIC PUMP CIRCUIT
Investigation abstract
A CREW OF EMPLOYEES WAS WORKING ON A SUBMERSIBLE DEEP WELL WATER PUMP. THEY REMO BREAKER PANEL. AFTER THE PUMP WAS LOWERED INTO THE WELL, THE CABLE WAS CONNECTED TO ITS SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL POWER AT THE TOP OF THE WELL CASING. THE EMPLOYEES THEN EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY IN INSTALLING A PITLESS ADAPTER ON THE PUMP PIPING T O THE CASING FLANGE. THE PUMP WAS ENERGIZED SO THAT THE EMPLOYEES COULD SEE IF T HE PITLESS ADAPTER WAS SEATED. THE FOREMAN, WHO WAS STANDING ON WET GROUND, HELD ONTO THE METAL PIPE, AND WATER WAS COMING OUT OF THE WELL CASING. THE METAL PIP E WAS ENERGIZED BY A GROUND FAULT IN THE PUMP CIRCUIT, AND THE FOREMAN WAS ELECT ROCUTED. VED THE PUMP AND A PLASTIC PIPE FROM A 150-FOOT-DEEP WELL. THEY CLEANED THE PUMP AND INSTALLED A NEW PIGTAIL ADAPTER TO REPLACE THE EXISTING ADAPTER, WHICH HAD A BROKEN WIRE. THEY THEN REINSTALLED THE PUMP, USING GALVANIZED PIPE INSTEAD OF THE EXISTING PLASTIC PIPE. A SECTION OF CABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL INSTALLATION WAS SPLICED BACK ONTO THE NEW PIGTAIL ADAPTER. THE RED CONDUCTOR IN THIS CABLE HAD A CUT IN ITS INSULATION, AND THE BLACK CONDUCTOR ALSO HAD A BARE SPOT NEAR ITS E ND. THESE TWO DEFECTS EXPOSED ENERGIZED PARTS OF THE CABLE. ADDITIONALLY, THE EQ UIPMENT GROUNDING CONDUCTOR FOR THE PUMP WAS NOT CONTINUOUS BACK TO THE CIRCUIT
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 25 M
- Nature of injury
- 10
- Part of body
- 31
- Event type
- 12
- Source
- 15
- Occupation code
- 557
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.