OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14410021
E GI II,ELECTRICAL,ELECTRIC SIGN,ELECTRIC CABLE,INSULATED TOOL,ELECTROCUTED,ELECTRICAL WORK,FALL,HAND TOOL
Event description
ELECTRIC SHOCK - CONTACT WITH ENERGIZED PARTS THRU HAND TOOL
Investigation abstract
AN EMPLOYEE WAS REPLACING A NEON UNIT ON AN ELECTRIC SIGN. HE WAS WORKING FROM A N AERIAL LADDER AT A HEIGHT OF 40 FEET ABOVE THE CONCRETE GROUND AND WAS NOT USI NG ANY FALL PROTECTION. THE SIGN WAS DEENERGIZED AS THE EMPLOYEE INSTALLED THE N EW UNIT. HOWEVER, WHEN THE SIGN WAS REENERGIZED, IT DID NOT LIGHT. THE EMPLOYEE USED A HIGH-VOLTAGE CABLE TO PROVIDE POWER (15 KILOVOLTS) TO THE SIGN, BYPASSING THE NEON UNIT, SO THAT HE COULD TROUBLESHOOT THE SIGN. THE EMPLOYEE APPARENTLY TRIED TO CUT OR PUSH THE CABLE WITH A PAIR OF PLIERS WHILE THE CABLE WAS ENERGIZ ED. THE PLIERS PASSED CURRENT THROUGH THE EMPLOYEE, WHO FELL 40 FEET TO THE GROU ND. AN AUTOPSY REVEALED THAT THE EMPLOYEE HAD BEEN ELECTROCUTED.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 36 M
- Nature of injury
- 10
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 15
- Occupation code
- 999
- 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.