OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14528764
E GI V,ELECTRICAL,ELECTROCUTED,ATTACHMENT PLUG,GROUND FAULT,CORD CONNECTOR
Event description
ELECTRIC SHOCK - GROUND FAULT IN UTILIZATION EQUIPMENT
Investigation abstract
AN EMPLOYEE IN A MAINTENANCE SHOP WAS USING A TUNGSTEN INERT GAS (TIG) WELDER. H TTACHMENT PLUG ON THE TIG WELDER, THE KEYWAY CAME OUT WITH THE PLUG. THE PLUG ON THE OTHER WELDER COULD THEN BE INSERTED INTO THE CONNECTOR IN ANY OF THREE POSS IBLE COMBINATIONS. THE EMPLOYEE INSERTED THE PLUG SO THAT EQUIPMENT GROUNDING PI N ON THE PLUG WAS INSERTED INTO ONE OF THE SLOTS FOR THE UNGROUNDED CONDUCTORS. (NOTE: THIS PLUG-RECEPTACLE CONFIGURATION IS NOT DESIGNED TO HAVE THE EQUIPMENT GROUNDING CONDUCTOR ATTACHED TO ANY OF THE PINS OR SLOTS.) WHEN THE EMPLOYEE PLU GGED IN THE WELDER, HE WAS ELECTROCUTED, COMPLETING THE CIRCUIT FROM HAND TO HAN D -- ONE HAND ON THE GROUNDED CONNECTOR BODY, AND THE OTHER HAND ON THE NOW ENER GIZED ATTACHMENT PLUG BODY. E NEEDED MORE HEAT FOR THE TASK THAT HE WAS PERFORMING, SO HE UNPLUGGED THE TIG WELDER AND PLUGGED IN A LARGER ARC WELDER. THE WELDERS WERE RATED 480 VOLTS, SIN GLE PHASE. (THE CIRCUIT WAS 277 VOLTS TO GROUND.) THE TWIST-LOCK ATTACHMENT PLUG AND CONNECTOR INVOLVED WERE HARVEY HUBBELL MODEL NUMBERS 7763 AND 7762, RESPECT IVELY. THE CONNECTOR WAS EQUIPPED WITH A KELLEMS STAINLESS STEEL GRIP (MODEL NUM BER H9107). THE GRIP WAS INSTALLED ON THE CONNECTOR SO THAT THE THE SCREWS DID N OT SEAT INTO THE PHENOLIC BODY. THE KEYWAY, WHICH WAS PART OF THE SHELL OF THE C ONNECTOR, COULD TURN ON THE CONNECTOR BODY. WHEN THE EMPLOYEE DISCONNECTED THE A
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 24 M
- Nature of injury
- 10
- Part of body
- 5
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 15
- Occupation code
- 599
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Task assigned
- 1
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