OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #221463219
POWER ELECTRONICS USA, INC.
CALIPATRIA, CA·
Event description
Employee sustains severe upper body burns from arc flash
Investigation abstract
At 1:30 p.m. on January 4, 2022, Employee #1, an electrician, was working at a the faulty module was identified. He started to remove the protective methacrylate shield to replace the fuse while he was talking to his coworker about personal matters when an arc flash occurred. Employee #1, who was kneeling in front of the module, sustained serious electrical burn injuries to his face, arms, and chest. He was hospitalized. solar farm. Employee #1 and his coworker were tasked with troubleshooting and servicing four inverters manufactured by Power Electronics that had module failures. They completed troubleshooting and servicing the first inverter and began working on the second inverter. Employee #1 identified a fault in an AC fuse. The coworker went to get his tools while Employee #1 positioned himself in front of the inverter door. They had switched pre-established work assignments and were not following the pre-established methodology They did not disconnect the power from the main AC switch. Employee #1 opened the inverter's door where
Victim
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 28 M
- Event type
- 14
- Occupation code
- 575
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