Electrician Electrocuted after Contacting an Energized Electric Hand Drill

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Wisconsin Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (Wisconsin FACE) ; Wisconsin. Division of Public Health. Bureau of Occupational Health
• Description:
  A 45-year-old male electrician (the victim) was electrocuted when he contacted an energized 1/2-inch metal-cased electric drill. The victim had been contracted to install electrical wiring in a residence under construction. He was in the process of drilling holes in overhead joists when the incident occurred. There were puddles of water on the cement floor of the work site. The drill was connected to a temporary power pole by a series of three extension cords, two of which were missing the ground pin. One cord was missing outer insulation jacket at both ends exposing the wiring for about 1/2 inch. The cords extended through the doorway outside to the power pole, where the ends were lying on the ground in puddles of rainwater and mud from recent heavy rainfalls. The cords were plugged into a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) receptacle mounted on the power pole. The power pole had been inspected and certified as meeting local municipality code requirements prior to having the utility company install the meter. However, testing after the incident disclosed the GFCI was inoperative, and the fuse box for the 120 volt single phase 15- and 20-ampere receptacle outlets located at the power pole contained two 40-ampere fuses. After the victim failed to respond to phone calls from the contractor, the contractor proceeded to the work site and found the victim lying face down on top of the drill. The police responded to the contractor's call for assistance and after arriving at the scene, disconnected the power source before examining the victim. The police determined that rigor mortis had set in, and called the coroner to the scene. The coroner arrived 45 minutes later and pronounced the victim dead on the scene. The victim was self-employed, and there were no witnesses to the incident. The Wisconsin FACE investigator concluded that, in order to prevent similar occurrences, the employer should: 1. Ensure that electrical service supplied to a construction site complies with all OSHA standards, the National Electric Code, and local regulations. 2. Implement a preventive maintenance program to keep cords, plugs, receptacles, and tools in good operating condition. 3. Test ground fault circuit interrupters on a daily basis. 4. Evaluate work areas to identify hazardous work conditions.
• Content Notes:
  Publication Date provided by FACE program
  
  not printed on the report.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Construction Industry Electric Injuries Electricity Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety Safety Management Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-prevention Construction Construction-industry Construction-workers Electrical-conductivity Electrical-equipment Electrical-hazards Electrical-industry Electrical-insulation Electrical-safety Electrical-workers Electrocutions Injuries Injury-prevention OSHA Region 5 Protective-measures Safety-education Safety-equipment Safety-measures Safety-monitoring Traumatic-injuries Work-analysis Work-areas Work-operations Work-performance Work-practices

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• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Construction ; Electrocution
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE93WI214
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Wisconsin ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  3 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20028046
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2009-105212
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 93WI214, 1994 Feb ; :1-4
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• Performing Organization:
  Wisconsin Department of Health & Family Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  23 - Construction - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  1991/09/30
• End Date:
  2006/08/31
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b20b8fb1301355e731299a18dd6fe3996a0cdbef3c059e54c0337f506eee5894fbc19f887de6504aa0978cc2db653d5e42e4d4242e493e15f4a27cf318c3b241
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/166939/cdc_166939_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 20.18 KB ]