OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #802850
BURN,CLOTHING,E GI III,ELECTRICAL,ELECTRICIAN,ELECTRICAL WORK,ELECTRICAL FAULT,SWITCHGEAR
Event description
ELECTRICAL BURNS - FAULT IN SWITCHGEAR
Investigation abstract
THREE EMPLOYEES HAD BEEN ASSIGNED TO INVESTIGATE POWER OUTAGES BEING EXPERIENCED IRD DEGREE BURNS ON HIS FACE, ARMS, AND CHEST. THE OTHER TWO EMPLOYEES RECEIVED MINOR BURNS. THEY WERE TREATED AT THE HOSPITAL AND THEN RELEASED. AT THEIR PLANT. THEY WERE CHECKING THE VOLTAGE OF A GENERAL ELECTRIC SWITCHGEAR BOX (MODEL 1972, RATED AT 480 VOLTS). ONE OF THE TWO EMPLOYEES, THE PLANT ELECT RICIAN, WAS ON HIS BACK IN FRONT OF THE SWITCHGEAR, TAKING A VOLTAGE READING. HE HAD DETERMINED THAT ONE OF THE PHASES ON THE LOAD SIDE OF THE SERVICE ENTRANCE HAD A REDUCED VOLTAGE. THE ELECTRICIAN, AFTER DISCOVERING THE LOW VOLTAGE, ALSO FOUND THAT THE SWITCHGEAR WOULD NOT FREELY CONNECT AND DISCONNECT. HE TOOK A SCR EWDRIVER AND STUCK IT INTO THE BOX, USING A FLASHLIGHT TO SEE WHY THE SWITCH WOU LD NOT MOVE. THE ELECTRICIAN CAUSED A FAULT WITH THE SCREWDRIVER AND SUFFERED TH
Victim
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 39 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 5
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 15
- Occupation code
- 213
- 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.