OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #981423
ELCO ELECTRIC INC.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN·
Event description
ELECTRIC SHOCK - FAILURE OF LOCKOUT SYSTEM
Investigation abstract
AN EMPLOYEE WAS WORKING ALONE, REPLACING AN OLD LAMPPOST. HE WAS KNEELING ON THE E WAS ELECTROCUTED. THE COMPANY HAD NO TRAINING PROGRAM FOR ITS EMPLOYEES. GROUND, PULLING CONDUCTORS FROM THE OLD LAMPPOST, WHICH WAS 15 FEET FROM THE FR ONT OF A HOUSE AND 2 FEET EAST OF THE MAIN WALK. HE HAD TURNED OFF THE SWITCH CO NTROLLING THE LIGHT; HOWEVER, THE NEUTRAL AND UNGROUNDED CIRCUIT CONDUCTOR OF TH E 120-VOLT LIGHTING CIRCUIT WERE REVERSED. THE UNGROUNDED CIRCUIT CONDUCTOR THUS REMAINED ENERGIZED AS THE EMPLOYEE WAS WORKING. ADDITIONALLY, THE EMPLOYEE WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE TYPE OF WIRING USED FOR THE LIGHTING CIRCUIT (WHICH THE RE PORT REFERRED TO AS KNOB AND TUBE WIRING). AS HE WAS REMOVING THE CONDUIT AND TH E CONDUCTORS, THE ENERGIZED CIRCUIT CONDUCTOR CONTACTED THE CONDUIT. THE EMPLOYE
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 25 Male
- Nature of injury
- Electric Shock (10)
- Part of body
- MULTIPLE (19)
- Accident type
- SHOCK (13)
- Source of injury
- ELEC APPARAT/WIRING (15)
- Occupation
- Electricians (575)
- Human factor
- MISJUDGMENT, HAZ. SITUATION (1)
- Environmental factor
- OTHER (18)
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
Labels are OSHA's own, from the code dictionary published with the accident-investigation file. The raw code is shown beside each one so this page can be reconciled against OSHA's bulk data. OSHA notes that nature of injury, part of body, source of injury and accident type in this file are not coded to the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System, and that the occupation titles are not standardised — so these values are not directly comparable with the OIICS-coded severe injury reports.