Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315466086 - Bauer, Inc. Dba Bauer Sign Company

Inspection Information - Office: Madison Area Office

Investigation Summary

On May 12, 2011, Employee #1 and a coworker were troubleshooting a failure that was occurring on a commercial advertising sign, which was located in front of a business. The electricity that supplied the sign came from an outlet on the ground that was attached to the sign, and was run from the businesses commercial building. Using a digital voltmeter, Employee #1 first tested the electrical wires that were located just above the outlet to see if power was running. He discovered that no power was running above the outlet and decided against securing the circuit breaker in the commercial building. Employee #1 then climbed a ladder and took off the cover of the sign to inspect its contents. He didn't notice anything unusual or out of place. He returned to the ground and proceeded to connect an extension cord to bare wires above the outlet. The extension cord had a male end, which was plugged into a generator, while the bare wire end was hard wired into the sign. No female end existed. The generator, which was bolted to the bed of a truck, was started. No other grounding was utilized for the generator. As Employee #1 ascended the ladder to look into the sign, he received an electric shock. Employee #1 fell from the ladder and was knocked unconscious. Emergency services were contacted and, upon their arrival, Employee #1 was revived. He was then taken to a nearby medical facility, where he was hospitalized and treated for his injury. No longer-term injuries from the electrical shock were noted; however, the accident investigation determined that no PPE was worn during the repair of the sign.

Keywords: UNCONSCIOUSNESS, REPAIR, PPE, ELECTRICIAN, LOCKOUT, ELECTRIC SHOCK, FALL, ELECTRICAL BOX