Inspection Detail

Inspection: 308594159 - King Of The Road Motors, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Houston North Area Office

Investigation Summary

On or near August 17, 2006, Employee #1, a 32-year-old worker who had been employed for five months, was apparently fabricating and welding a bracket for the outside portion of the sleeper rack on a Peterbilt tractor, in the rear southwest corner of an automotive shop. Employee #1 removed the bracket and welded from the outside, with the MIG (metal inert gas) machine. When he ran out of argon, Employee #1 asked a coworker if he could use the electrical Lincoln two-arc welding machine (Model Number AC-225). The coworker apparently informed Employee #1 that they did not use the welding machine, because it did not work right, but the employees began to search for welding leads. Employee #1 used the Lincoln welding machine to complete the welds to the bracket and then showed his coworker that the welding machine did work, before he proceeded to complete the task. Employee #1 placed and welded the bracket which was located under the frame on the driver's side, approximately 32 inches from the outside frame, in a very awkward position for welding. Employee #1 proceeded to use the Lincoln welding machine to complete the welds on the bottom of the C-channel bracket. An interviewed coworker heard a shout and ran to Employee #1, who was approximately 15 feet to 20 feet away. The coworker found Employee #1 on the ground, lying on his right side. Employee #1 was killed. The coworker went on to mention that Employee #1 had his back turned away, and he could not tell if Employee #1 had the stinger in his hand. At the scene, the CSHO (Compliance Safety and Health Officer) noted that the welding machine was in the "on" position (disconnected) and the welding rod was still in the stinger. The investigation concluded that Employee #1 was possibly electrocuted, until otherwise ruled by the Medical Examiner's office. Evidence for the conclusion included welding leads with several exposed areas on the stinger and the ground ends, a broken ground clamp, and very dry-rotted and cracked ground leads. There was also a possibility that the DC (direct current) electrical welding machine was connected to the 220-volt AC (alternating current) metal quad box on the ground, apparently with a flexible extension cord.

Keywords: INADEQUATE MAINT, ELECTROCUTED, WELDER, WELDING, ELECTRIC SHOCK, ELECTRIC CORD