Fatality Narrative: Electrician Electrocuted When Contact Is Made with an Energized Disconnect Switch

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  On July 20, 2004, a project superintendent/electrician was electrocuted when he made contact with an energized 13,800 volt bus of a disconnect switch. The 56-year-old victim was employed by an electrical contractor. He was a project superintendent for the contractor at a Bureau of Reclamation job site at a dam and an experienced electrician. The victim entered the facility's pumping plant to take some measurements for a planned project. Due to a verbal miscommunication, he believed the area he was accessing was de-energized and did not use the established lockout/tagout procedure agreed upon by the contractor and the Bureau. The victim also did not use a high voltage tester to determine if the circuit was energized. He climbed a 6-foot ladder to access a breaker cabinet, opened the panel of the enclosed disconnect cabinet, and reached inside where he made contact with the energized 13,800 volt bus of the disconnect switch. He received an electrical shock and fell 4 feet from the ladder. He was found a few minutes later by members of his crew who administered emergency aid. The victim was taken unconscious to a hospital where he died 18 days later of complications from the effects of contact with electrical current. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Education Electric Injuries Electricity Mortality Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident Prevention Communication Systems Electrical Shock Electrocutions Fatalities Hazards Lockout Tagout Protective Equipment Protective Measures Safety Education Safety Measures Safety Practices Training Traumatic Injuries Work Environment Workers Worker Safety

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• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051834
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 71-36-2005, 2005 Jun; :1
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2005
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Fatality narrative: electrician electrocuted when contact is made with an energized disconnect switch
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:38dadf9b7fcf41cd492b54724d6e5f6e000966505a6ebeab6039d9d8122f203d7f98e0e8bf8f8c6d9c71d16355f729edeb01d7ba6b9cda98813dd1e32db34b13
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228837/cdc_228837_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 33.50 KB ]