Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 200841120 - Employee electrocuted while changing lighting ballasts
Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
303822183 | 08/02/2005 | 1731 | 238210 | Lowry Electric Company |
Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
303822191 | 08/02/2005 | 4939 | 221122 | Illinois Power Company Dba Amerenip |
Abstract: At approximately 1:35 p.m. on August 2, 2005, Employee #1, a journeyman electrician, had been working alone for about an hour on a time and material job in the garage/shop area of an office facility. He was changing bulbs and ballasts on a branch circuit of nine 8 ft long fluorescent luminaries energized at 277 volts. He was changing a Universal Lighting Technologies ballast, model 937KTCP, when he contacted an energized 16-gauge line conductor and was electrocuted. At approximately 1:40 p.m., a mechanic discovered Employee #1 slumped over in the elevated scissor lift. He ran across the garage/shop, turned off the single pole switch, and sought assistance. Several people who were either working nearby or happened upon the scene during the 2:00 p.m. shift change, helped coordinate the emergency response, retrieve Employee #1 from the lift, and render first aid/CPR. He had electrical burns on both hands and the front of his chest. Employee #1 was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The line conductor that shocked him was fitted with a 5-amp in-line fuse that had not been removed or disconnected. Both the breaker at a Westinghouse NHIB-3P/4W panel board and a single pole switch were activated. Employee #1 was not wearing gloves rated for the voltage involved. In addition, he was working from an uninsulated, manually propelled 115-volt Pac Craft electric scissor lift, model 125 EM, plugged into a GFCI receptacle, which provided the potential difference, path to ground.
End Use | Project Type | Project Cost | Stories | Non-building Height | Fatality | ||
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Commercial building | Maintenance or repair | Under $50,000 | X |
Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation | Construction |
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1 | 303822183 | Fatality | Electric Shock | Electricians | 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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2 | 303822191 | Occupation not reported | Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Fatality Cause: |