Exposure to electric arc · Electrical burns any degree
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Rapid Pump & Meter Co., Inc., Newark Pump Station, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY 07104
on — Electrical burns any degree , affecting the Multiple body parts n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was conducting a visual inspection of a pump and possibly using a voltage meter on an electrical panel. An arc flash occurred and the employee sustained second- and third-degree burns to his neck and face, and also sustained burns to his lower arms and hands.
Hospitalized Multiple body parts n.e.c. Switchboards, panels, fuses
An employee was terminating cables in a junction box. A loose ground wire came into contact with the bushing, causing a flash that burned the right side of the employee's face and his right hand.
An employee was using a bucket truck hoist to raise secondary aerial wiring. The wire made contact with the primary wire, causing an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to both hands and was hospitalized.
A temporary employee was testing an electrical starter motor. He was placing tape on the starter while the breaker was not engaged, but the starter sent an arc flash that burned his hands and stomach.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee was operating an ironworker (steel punching/shearing) machine. A piece of the tooling broke off and struck the employee's neck; a fragment was lodged in his neck. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was climbing a ladder to inspect a vent in a restaurant dining area. The ladder slid out on the floor and the employee fell approximately 12 feet onto the ladder and the floor. He was hospitalized with a dislocated shoulder and a back injury.
An employee was operating a lift truck when it struck a stationary lift truck. His left thumb was pinched between the two lift trucks, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee was disassembling a pressurized unit using a driver drill. When the unit was disassembled, it caused a kickback from the tube head, causing the drill to strike the employee's left forearm. They sustained a diaphyseal fracture to their left radius and ulna, which required surgery.
After repairing a piece of industrial equipment, an employee had brake-cleaning liquid on his gloves. A lighter ignited the liquid, and the employee's hands were severely burned.
An employee was installing fence posts when they stepped into a recently dug hole that was not visible due to rainfall. The employee's leg was fractured.
An employee assisted in cleaning material from a conveyor pit. After the pit was cleaned, the employee proceeded to replace metal safety plates to ensure other employees did not fall into the pit. While replacing one of the last plates, the employee mis-stepped and fell approximately 5 feet into the pit. The employee was hospitalized with back/side bruising, elbow bruising, bone bruises, and/or fractured ribs.
An employee was walking on the sidewalk. When they stepped off the curb, they fell to the ground, resulting in fractures to their tibia, fibula, and a metatarsal.