Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307162677 - Morrow Meadows Co

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 1:15 p.m. on September 17, 2004, Employee #1, an apprentice wireman for an electrical contractor, was working at job site in Arcadia, CA. He was getting ready to install a lighting fixture in the ceiling near a large window, but needed to know whether the 277-volt circuit was energized. He used a 9 ft 7 in. tall fiberglass A-frame stepladder to pull the electrical conduit down from the ceiling. The wiring was capped with fittings known as "Wagos" that enclose the conductors and have small openings at the tip that allow them to be probed with an electrical tester. Employee #1 was holding the conduit in his left hand and was using a Fluke electrical tester to probe the Wago fitting when his hand slipped off its insulated handles and contacted the approximately 1/8 in. conductive piece outside the fitting. His right middle finger received an electric shock that caused him to fall from the sixth step of the ladder to the ground. He suffered a fractured right femur, for which he was hospitalized. Employee #1 was not wearing non-slip gloves at the time of the accident, which violated the employer's rules. The gloves, though partially made of natural rubber, were not approved for electrical work on circuits greater than 250 volts to ground. Employee #1's supervisor, a general foreman, was at the work site but not in the area at the time of the accident. The employer was cited for a violation of T8CCR 2320.2(a)(4) based on a lack of knowledge about the hazard.

Keywords: ELEC PROTECT EQUIP, FRACTURE, STEPLADDER, WORK RULES, SLIP, CONSTRUCTION, ELEC CIRC PART--MISC, ELECTRIC SHOCK, FALL, LEG