Inspection Detail

Inspection: 308680156 - Northwest Concrete Cutters

Inspection Information - Office: Omaha Area Office

Inspection Nr: 308680156

Report ID: 0728900

Date Opened: 01/17/2006

Site Address:
Northwest Concrete Cutters
9845 S. 142nd Street
Omaha, NE 68134

Mailing Address:
818 E. 50th Street North, Sioux Falls, SD 57104

Union Status: NonUnion

SIC:1771

NAICS: 238990/All Other Specialty Trade Contractors

Inspection Type: Referral

Scope: Partial

Advanced Notice: N

Ownership: Private

Safety/Health: Safety

Close Conference: 01/27/2006

Planning Guide: Safety-Construction

Emphasis:

Case Closed: 03/15/2006

Related Activity
Type	Activity Nr	Safety	Health
Referral	200056653	Yes

Violation Summary
Violations/Penalties	Serious	Willful	Repeat	Other	Unclass	Total
Initial Violations	2					2
Current Violations	1					1
Initial Penalty	$3,000	$0	$0	$0	$0	$3,000
Current Penalty	$1,500	$0	$0	$0	$0	$1,500
FTA Penalty	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0

Violation Items
#	Citation ID	Citaton Type	Standard Cited	Issuance Date	Abatement Due Date	Current Penalty	Initial Penalty	FTA Penalty	Contest	Latest Event	Note
1.	01001	Serious	19260020 B04	02/17/2006	03/07/2006	$0	$1,500	$0		I - Informal Settlement	Citation has been deleted.
2.	01002	Serious	19260416 A01	02/17/2006	03/14/2006	$1,500	$1,500	$0		I - Informal Settlement

Investigation Summary

Investigation Nr: 200052660

Event: 01/12/2006

Employee shocked by extension cord while reversing polarity

On January 12, 2006, Employee #1 and a coworker were cutting the concrete in an existing structure in preparation for installing additional plumbing as part of a renovation project. The workers were using a 480-volt AC concrete saw powered by a truck-mounted generator. Employee #1 was alone, setting up the equipment, while his supervisor discussed the cuts to be made and their locations with the general contractor. While testing the saw, Employee #1 realized that the polarity was reversed and he decided to correct this by changing the cord. He disconnected the saw cord from the extension cord running to the generator. Employee #1 was supposed to re-wire the de-energized side of the cord, the saw cord, but began to disassemble the generator side of the cord while the generator was running. As he was working, he contacted a 277-volt single phase of the three-phase cord and sustained third-degree burns to the middle fingers on both hands. Employee #1 was transported to the hospital, where he was admitted for treatment. Subsequent investigation found that the previous job had involved an incorrectly wired 480-volt power source; this was a common occurrence at some of the construction sites where Employee #1 had performed concrete-cutting operations, and it was easier to reverse the wires in the cord than to wait for the electrician to arrive and correct the polarity issues within the circuit. At this site, they were using the company-owned generator, which was correctly wired.

Keywords: BURN, ELECTRICAL, FINGER, WORK RULES, CORD SET, CONSTRUCTION, ELEC CIRC PART--MISC, ELECTRIC SHOCK, ELECTRIC CORD

Investigated Inspection
#	Inspection	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation
1	308680156			Hospitalized injury	Electric Shock	Occupation not reported

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