OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14253769
MT OLIVE PICKLE CO INC
MT OLIVE, NC·
Event description
ELECTRIC SHOCK - WET SPLICE IN POWER SUPPLY CORD
Investigation abstract
TWO EMPLOYEES WERE ADDING BRINE TO VATS USED TO STORE CUCUMBERS FOR MAKING PICKL SUPPLY CORD FOR THE PUMP HAD A SPLICE IN IT, AND THE INJURED EMPLOYEE HAD STEPP ED ON THE SPLICE. HE WAS WEARING DECK SHOES, WHICH WERE ALSO SATURATED WITH BRIN E. THE CURRENT INITIALLY TRAVELLED FROM LEG TO LEG. HOWEVER, THE EMPLOYEE FELL B ACK AGAINST ONE OF THE VATS, ALLOWING THE CURRENT TO PASS THROUGH HIS CHEST. OTH ER EMPLOYEES AT THE PLANT HAD EMT TRAINING AND ATTEMPTED TO REVIVE THE INJURED E MPLOYEE, BUT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. ES. ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES HAD JUST TURNED OFF THE TAP THAT CONTROLLED THE BRINE W HEN THE OTHER EMPLOYEE SAID THAT HE WAS BEING SHOCKED. AS THE FIRST EMPLOYEE STA RTED TOWARDS THE INJURED EMPLOYEE, HE ALSO FELT AN ELECTRIC SHOCK THROUGH HIS SH OES. HE THEN CALLED FOR SOMEONE TO DISCONNECT THE ELECTRIC POWER. THE INJURED EM PLOYEE WAS ELECTROCUTED. INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT THE ELECTRIC SHOCK CAME FROM A #12 AWG, STO FLEXIBLE CORD THAT SUPPLIED POWER TO A PORTABLE PUMP USED FOR PUM PING WATER FROM THE STORAGE VATS. THE DECK ON WHICH THE EMPLOYEES WERE WORKING W AS WOOD, WAS ABOUT 40 INCHES ABOVE THE GROUND, AND WAS SATURATED WITH BRINE. THE
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 17 M
- Nature of injury
- 10
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 15
- Occupation code
- 889
- 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.