OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #607341
GEORGIA POWER COMPANY
ATLANTA, GA·
Event description
ELECTRIC SHOCK - GROUND FAULT IN SUMP PUMP
Investigation abstract
AN ELECTRIC UTILITY EMPLOYEE WAS IN AN UNDERGROUND VAULT CHECKING TRANSFORMER RE ADINGS. THE VAULT CONTAINED, AMONG OTHER THINGS, AN ELECTRIC SUMP PUMP. THE PUMP HAD BEEN INOPERATIVE FOR 5 YEARS; THE FUSES PROTECTING ITS CIRCUIT HAD OPENED. HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE DAMP CONDITIONS, THE ELECTRICAL POWER TO THE PUMP WAS NO T ENTIRELY INTERRUPTED, EVEN WITH THE FUSES REMOVED. A LEAD SHEATH HAD WORN THRO UGH ALLOWING ONE OF THE 240-VOLT CONDUCTORS TO SHORT OUT, ENERGIZING THE FRAME O F THE PUMP AND ASSOCIATED APPARATUS. THE EMPLOYEE WAS STANDING IN 3 FEET OF WATE R, WEARING HIP WADERS, WHEN HE CONTACTED THE SUMP PUMP. THE EMPLOYEE WAS NOT RET RIEVED FROM THE SPACE FOR ABOUT 1.5 HOURS. HE HAD BEEN ELECTROCUTED.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 35 M
- Nature of injury
- 10
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 15
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 9
- 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.