105,313Records 71,083Employers 85,290Hospitalizations 27,770Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-10-31
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #851147

ELEC INSULATION,ELECTRICAL,E GI VII,ELECTROCUTED,LIGHTING FIXTURE,GROUND FAULT,EQUIPMENT GROUNDING,ELECTRIC SHOCK,WATER

Event
ELEC INSULATION,ELECTRICAL,E GI VII,ELECTROCUTED,LIGHTING FIXTURE,GROUND FAULT,EQUIPMENT GROUNDING,ELECTRIC SHOCK,WATER
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
851147
Report ID
521100

Event description

ELECTRIC SHOCK - GROUND FAULT IN LIGHTING FIXTURE

Investigation abstract

FOUR EMPLOYEES WERE ASSIGNED TO MOVE A BOAT FROM A DRIVEWAY TO ITS FINAL DESTINA PLOYEES ACCIDENTALLY TOUCHED THE FIXTURE FRAME WITH THE BOAT LIFT. THREE OF THE FOUR EMPLOYEES WERE STANDING IN WATER AT THE TIME, AND ALL OF THEM RECEIVED ELEC TRIC SHOCKS. ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES WAS ELECTROCUTED; ONE COULD NOT LET GO AS A RE SULT OF THE SHOCK AND RECEIVED INTERNAL INJURIES TO HIS ARMS (FOR WHICH HE WAS H OSPITALIZED); ONE COULD NOT LET GO, BUT RECEIVED ONLY SORE ARMS; AND THE LAST, T HE ONLY EMPLOYEE WHO WAS NOT IN THE WATER, FELT THE SHOCK AND RELEASED HIS GRIP IMMEDIATELY. TION AT A RESIDENCE. WHEN THE EMPLOYEES ARRIVED AT THE WATER, THEY FOUND THAT TH EY HAD TO MANEUVER THE BOAT LIFT OVER A 2.5-FOOT RETAINING WALL NEXT TO A BOAT H OUSE. THE BOAT HOUSE HAD AN ALUMINUM-FRAMED LIGHTING FIXTURE, WHICH FACED THE WA TER. THE WIRING FOR THE FIXTURE CAME FROM A RECEPTACLE ON A TRAILER AND HAD ITS GROUNDING CONDUCTOR ATTACHED TO THE METAL OUTLET BOX. THE TRAILER, UNFORTUNATELY , WAS NOT GROUNDED. AT THE BOAT HOUSE, THE LOWER ATTACHMENT SCREW FOR THE FIXTUR E'S COMBINATION RECEPTACLE WAS TOO LONG AND HAD PENETRATED THE INSULATION ON THE UNGROUNDED CIRCUIT CONDUCTOR, ENERGIZING THE METAL FRAME OF THE FIXTURE. THE EM

Victims (4)

  1. #1 Fatality Age 24 M

    Nature of injury
    10
    Part of body
    4
    Event type
    6
    Source
    15
    Occupation code
    889
    Human factor
    9
    Environmental factor
    13
    Task assigned
    1
  2. #2 Hospitalized Age 24 M

    Nature of injury
    10
    Part of body
    12
    Event type
    6
    Source
    15
    Occupation code
    889
    Human factor
    9
    Environmental factor
    13
    Task assigned
    1
  3. #3 Non-hospitalized injury Age 22 M

    Nature of injury
    10
    Part of body
    12
    Event type
    6
    Source
    15
    Occupation code
    889
    Human factor
    9
    Environmental factor
    13
    Task assigned
    1
  4. #4 Non-hospitalized injury Age 42 M

    Nature of injury
    10
    Part of body
    12
    Event type
    6
    Source
    15
    Occupation code
    889
    Human factor
    9
    Environmental factor
    13
    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.