Factory Worker Electrocuted After Contacting 480 Volts While Attempting to Reset a Relay in an Electrical Cabinet

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  New Jersey Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation Project (NJ FACE) ; New Jersey. Department of Health and Senior Services. Occupational Health Service
• Description:
  On April 8, 1991, a 50-year-old factory worker was fatally electrocuted after falling onto the exposed conductors in an energized 480 volt electrical cabinet. The incident occurred at a plastic bottle manufacturing plant after an automated pallet conveyor system stopped during a power overload. Attempting to reset the system, the worker opened an electrical cabinet and reached in to reset an opened relay. He was electrocuted when he apparently fell and contacted the energized terminals of the relays and breakers within the cabinet. NJDOH FACE investigators concluded that, in order to prevent similar incidents in the future, the following safety guidelines should be followed: 1. All electrical cabinets should be securely locked and equipped with a safety interlock system that de-energizes the contents of the cabinet when the doors are opened. 2. Develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive safety program which includes worker training in avoiding electrical and other safety hazards 3. All electrical cabinets should be posted with signs identifying them as containing high voltage.
• Content Notes:
  Formerly NJ9104
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Electric Injuries Electricity Occupational Health Safety Safety Management
• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-potential Accident-prevention Electric-properties Electrical-conductivity Electrical-hazards Electrical-properties Electrical-safety Electrical-systems Electrical-transmission Electrical-workers Electrocutions Injuries Injury-prevention OSHA Region 2 Safety-education Safety-equipment Safety-measures Safety-practices Traumatic-injuries

  More +
• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Electrocution ; Prevention through Design (PtD)
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE91NJ006
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; OSHA Region 2
• 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:20026518
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2013-101689
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 91NJ006, 1991 Jul ; :1-3
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1991
• Performing Organization:
  New Jersey Department of Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  31-33 - Manufacturing - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  1991/09/30
• End Date:
  2005/08/31
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5b7189139a1ddd7789d459c430649204988b9d68ea4b354d7d1ae203bdf75e1d28bfb964d353939cb55983425ee6c44e9f7627a95d9b8d02368af0c90ba9bc69
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/170126/cdc_170126_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 60.71 KB ]