OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14496251
JAMESON & GIBSON CONSTRUCTION CO INC
JONESBORO, AR—
Event description
ELECTRIC SHOCK - GROUND FAULT IN EXTENSION CORD
Investigation abstract
A CONSTRUCTION SITE WAS WET FROM RECENT RAINS. A CARPENTER AT THE SITE PICKED UP UCTORS WERE IN CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER, THE CURRENT THEN FLOWED BACK TO THE CASE OF THE TOOL THROUGH THE TOOL'S EQUIPMENT GROUNDING CONDUCTOR. THE EMPLOYEE, WHO WAS HOLDING THE CASE OF THE TOOL, CONDUCTED THE CURRENT TO GROUND. BECAUSE THE GROUNDED CIRCUIT CONDUCTOR AND THE EQUIPMENT GROUNDING CONDUCTOR WERE NOT CONTIN UOUS BACK TO THE SERVICE, THE VOLTAGE IMPRESSED ON THE TOOL WAS NEARLY THE FULL LINE-TO-GROUND VOLTAGE (120 VOLTS). THE EMPLOYEE WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR 3 DAYS FOR DAMAGE TO HIS HEART MUSCLE. A MILWAUKEE 3/8-INCH ELECTRIC DRILL THAT HAD A PLASTIC HANDLE AND A METAL HOUSI NG AND CHUCK. AS HE PULLED THE TRIGGER TO ACTIVATE THE DRILL, HE WAS SEVERELY SH OCKED AND KNOCKED DOWN. AN INVESTIGATION FOUND THE WIRING TO AN ATTACHMENT PLUG ON AN EXTENSION CORD SET HAD BEEN PULLED LOOSE. THE GROUNDED CIRCUIT (WHITE) CON DUCTOR AND THE EQUIPMENT GROUNDING (GREEN) CONDUCTOR HAD COME OFF THEIR RESPECTI VE SCREWS AND WERE CONTACTING EACH OTHER. WHEN THE EMPLOYEE ENERGIZED THE DRILL, CURRENT FLOWED FROM THE UNGROUNDED CIRCUIT CONDUCTOR THROUGH THE DRILL MOTOR AN D THROUGH THE WHITE CONDUCTOR ON THE TOOL. SINCE THE GROUNDED AND GROUNDING COND
Victim
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 25 M
- Nature of injury
- 10
- Part of body
- 31
- Event type
- 12
- Source
- 15
- Occupation code
- 567
- Human factor
- 9
- Environmental factor
- 17
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.