Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1321293.015 - Jo-Carroll Energy, Inc. (Nfp)

Inspection Information - Office: Naperville Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 1:40 p.m. on June 4, 2018, an employee was working for a rural electric power distribution cooperative. He and a coworker were at a substation in Albany, IL. They were performing a power factor test on a transformer. They were using a Megger DELTA2000 10kV Automated Insulation Power Factor Test Set to test the transformer's porcelain bushings for conductivity. The employee was at the transformer. His coworker was inside a nearby trailer, operating the equipment. This was a scheduled maintenance task that the lead employee had accomplished before. The narrative did not say whether the employee or his coworker was the lead employee. Two safety switches were provided and installed on the Megger Delta2000 10 kV Automated Insulation Power Factor Test Set. One switch was for the operator. The other switch was for the person conducting the tests at the bushings. The safety switch that was supposed to be for the tester had been bypassed and left inside the trailer with the tester's operator. The switch's button had been taped down with electrical tape and bypassed. This way, one worker could perform the test; it would not be necessary for there to be a second worker to hold down the other button. The employee and his coworker were not in each other's line of sight. They did have audio communications. The employee, who was testing the bushings for conductivity, was not required to wear electrically-rated gloves to protect against electric shock. During the test, the operator, who was inside the trailer, took a phone call. When the call was over a few minutes later, he started the testing again. The communication broke down. When he tried, verbally, to start the testing again, the employee, at the transformer, was confused as to what the verbal cues were for. The employee touched a live part. He sustained an electric shock. A call was placed to emergency medical services. Emergency personnel arrived to treat the employee. He was hospitalized.

Keywords: E GI II (no ppe), Elec Protect Equip, Elec Utility Work, Electric Shock, Electrical, Emergency Response, Glove, Insulator, PPE, Substation, Transformer