Fatal Accident Circumstances and Epidemiology (FACE) Report: 24 Year-Old Textile Worker Electrocuted in North Carolina, July 23, 1985

摘要

On July 23, 1985, a 24 year old textile worker was electrocuted when he came in contact with a loom and a feeder energized by a 550 volt 3 phase power source. The facility employed about 850 workers. Two employees had tied the leading edge of a new supply roll of warp to the trailing edge of the completed roll of cloth. The victim was moving the feeder so that he would be able to insert a crank onto the driving lug of the loom. The coworker detected a burning smell and saw the victim draped over the feeder. The power was then disconnected at the end of the loom. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Power for the feeder was supplied from a receptacle located on the end of the loom adjacent to the feeder. The plug apparently was inserted in the receptacle with the ground prong turned 90 degrees clockwise from the ground terminal. This would not have been possible with a receptacle that was complete and intact. However, because the melamine insulator was cracked, sufficient space was available for the tang on the ground prong to enter the x terminal of the receptacle. The frame of the feeder was then energized with a 550 volt potential. Recommendations include installing a strain relief grip on feeder power cables and replacing all melamine receptacles with industrial rated nylon receptacles, mechanically bonding the feeders to the looms, training employees to recognize the hazards of electrical energy, and instructing employees to disconnect the power to the feeder using the toggle switch before removing the plug.