Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 200642130 - Employee electrocuted in contact with charged water pipes

Accident Summary Nr: 200642130 -- Report ID: 0627700 -- Event Date: 11/06/2001
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
303646913	11/09/2001	1711	0	Keeton Plumbing, Inc.

Abstract: At approximately 2:30 p.m. on November 6, 2001, Employee #1, a plumber's helper, and a coworker were installing a new lavatory and toilet in a house that was being remodeled into an office. Employee #1 entered the crawl space under the house to push the plastic pipe up through the floor hole for the toilet. As he was working, he contacted some water pipes that were electrically charged, and was electrocuted. A subsequent inspection of the remodeled electrical installation discovered a faulty and hazardous grounding electrode system. In the attic, the water line bonding conductor had been cut from the electrical services and was touching a discarded copper line.The copper line was in contact with exposed and energized 220-volt conductors. The conductors had been part of an old water heater that had been removed and replaced with a new one on the first floor.

Keywords: INSTALLING, PROTECTIVE GROUNDING, WORK RULES, ELECTROCUTED, STRUCK AGAINST, CONSTRUCTION, ELEC CIRC PART--MISC, ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR, PLUMBING

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Commercial building		Alteration or rehabilitation		Under $50,000	1		X

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	303646913			Fatality	Electric Shock	Occupation not reported	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Interior plumbing, ducting, electrical work Fatality Cause: Electrocution by touching exposed wire/source

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