Inspection Detail

Inspection: 761064 - Babcock & Wilcox Construction Company Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Charleston Area Office

Investigation Summary

A supervisor and two other employees entered a motor control center to inspect a boiler feed pump circuit to ensure that it was deenergized so that they could cut some cables that were part of the circuit. The three employees attached a come-along around a beam at the motor end of one of the cables. One of the employees (employee #2) left to get more chokers while the other two employees inspected the two sets of cables in the condenser pit area of the boiler. When he returned, employee #2 was told by his coworker that the supervisor had showed him the exact cables to cut. These two employees then went back to cut the cables. Employee #1 climbed down onto the lower cable tray that was supporting two sets of four cables coming through the wall. Employee #1 stated that he was told to cut the top left and bottom right cables. Using a pair of Klein ratchet-type wire cutters, he cut into a 2300-volt cable leading to the pulverizer feed amplifier and instead of the correct cables, which were 6 meters away. Employee #1 was electrocuted. (He was later pronounced dead at the scene by the coroner.) Employee #2 jumped back from the resulting electrical fault and struck his arm against a condenser pipe.

Keywords: ELECTRICAL, ELECTRIC CABLE, ELECTRICIAN, ELECTROCUTED, LOCKOUT, E GI IV, INSULATED TOOL, HAND TOOL, STRUCK AGAINST, ELECTRICAL WORK