Fatal Accident Circumstances and Epidemiology (FACE) Report: Electrical ProjectSupervisor Dies After Contacting an Energized Conductor, South Carolina, May 16, 1992

摘要

The case of a 46 year old male electrical project supervisor who died when hecontacted an energized conductor inside a control panel was examined. He was employed by an industrial electrical contracting company. The company had been hired by a plastic bottle packaging facility to install control cabinets, conduit, wiring, and solid state compressor motor starters for two 400 horsepower air compressors used to supply air to plastic bottle blow mold machines. After the starter had been installed and all associated wiring completed, a helper turned the switch on, but the compressor motor did not start. The victim opened the starter control panel door without deenergizing the unit and reached inside to trace the wiring and check the integrity of the electrical leads. He contacted the 480 volt primary lead for the motor starter with his left hand. He died of cardiac arrest due to electrical shock. It was recommended that employers stress the importance of following standard work safety regulations pertaining to the possible exposure to electrical systems prior to performing any work on them and encourage working to actively participate in making the workplace safe.