TranslateAccident Report Detail
Accident: 200051639 - Employee Is Electrocuted Installing Lighting Socket
Accident: 200051639 -- Report ID: 0728900 -- Event Date: 06/25/2002 | |||||||
| Inspection | Open Date | SIC | Establishment Name | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 303732093 | 06/27/2002 | 7312 | Ferguson Signs | ||||
| At approximately 5:40 p.m. on June 25, 2002, Employee #1 and Employee #2 (company owner) were working on a gas station awning (used to provide protection over the gasoline pumps). They were servicing the perimeter decorative lighting as the company had a contract to replace non-functional bulbs and service the lighting units as necessary. On this particular unit (Southeast corner of the awning), the end socket had been damaged requiring replacement. The roof/awning structure was completely composed of metal. Employee #1 was installing a florescent lighting socket. He was using a pair of wire strippers to clear away the insulation from the "hot" line coming from the ballast. Employee #1 was leaning against a metal cross member while performing the work. As he began stripping the wire, his right index finger and thumb came into contact with the metal portion of the strippers which were now carrying current from the ballast. He had cut through a live line. The circuit through Employee #1 was completed when the current traveled from the point of entry in his right thumb and index finger and exited through the center of his chest where he was leaning against the metal cross member. Employee #1 jerked away from the cross member and landed on his back, against a second cross member. This created a second path which now exited the center of Employee #1's back. This circuit was not broken until Employee #2 came over and grabbed the live wire and jerked it out of the strippers which were still firmly grasped in Employee #1's right hand. Employee #1 was electrocuted. The line was charged to 600 volts and 800 milliamperes. The employees failed to turn off the power to the unit which was controlled by a circuit breaker inside of the service station. The line load was 120 volts at 20 amps. The voltage was stepped up using the lighting ballast. This converted the voltage to 600 volts which was required to cause the gas in the florescent tube to glow. The amperage was reduced to 800 milliamperes as high amperage was not required for the lighting. Both employees were hot and covered with perspiration. Employee #1 was wearing a cotton t-shirt which was saturated with sweat which aided in the grounding and conducted the electricity. The cause of death for Employee #1 was officially listed as cardiopulmonary arrest. The cause of the arrest was the electrical current passing through his body. The company did not have a written lockout/tagout program nor had the Employee #1 been trained. The cause of incident was the failure of the company to employ proper lockout/tagout practices and, in this case, failing to deenergize a circuit prior to performing work on that circuit. | |||||||
Keywords:
ballast--lighting, work rules, electrocuted, electrical work, lockout, cardiac arrest, elec circ part--misc, electric conductor, electric shock, fall
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| Employee # | Inspection | Age | Sex | Degree | Nature | Occupation | |
| 1 | 303732093 | Fatality | Electric Shock | Occupation not reported | |||