Accident 000657874 - Burn - Electrical Fault Circuit Breaker

An employee was resetting a 480-volt circuit breaker. The breaker failed and the employee was burned on his left arm by the ensuing electric arc. He was hospitalized for his injuries.

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,electric arc,electrical fault,equipment failure,circuit breaker,e gi vii,

Accident 014333637 - Burn - Electrical Fault Circuit Breaker

A circuit breaker supplying an air conditioner on a roof had been opening for several days. Two heating, ventilation, and air conditioning employees were assigned to repair the problem, though neither of them was an electrician. They did not deenergize and lockout the circuit, and they were not wearing any personal protective equipment. The 480-volt circuit breaker was fed by a loop directly from a 13.2-kilovolt transformer. One of the two employees approached the circuit breaker panelboard, which had its cover and door removed some days before the accident. He either reset the faulty breaker or started to remove it, and an electrical fault occurred. Heat from the fault current melted the insulation on conductors at the block connection at the switchgear, causing another fault at this location. As a result of an electric arc from the primary fault, the employee near the circuit breaker sustained burns over 87 percent of his body. He was hospitalized for his injuries. As a result of an electric arc from the secondary fault, the other employee sustained burns over 50 percent of his body. He died from his injuries.

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,electric arc,electrical fault,clothing,electrical work,untrained,circuit breaker,switchgear,e gi iii,

Accident 014328736 - Burn - Electrical Fault Circuit Breaker

Three employees were installing a circuit breaker in switchgear in an underground vault. As the employees were racking in the breaker, an electrical fault occurred across the three phases of the breaker. The employees were burned by the ensuing electric arc and fire. One of them died of his injuries; the others were hospitalized. Two additional employees suffered smoke inhalation from the fire.

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,electric arc,electrical fault,clothing,elec utility work,power line worker,circuit breaker,smoke inhalation,e ptd,

Accident 170586952 - Burn - Electrical Fault Circuit Breaker Cubicle

An electrician was working on a 12-kilovolt circuit breaker. He was working inside the circuit breaker cubicle, working on the controls of the breaker. No lockout procedures were followed, and none of the primary contacts of the circuit breaker were guarded. An electric arc developed between exposed phases of the supply side of the circuit breaker, and an electrical explosion resulted. The employee suffered third degree burns to his face, body, and arms.

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,elec utility work,electrical fault,electric arc,electrician,lockout,switchgear,clothing,e ptd,

Accident 170695522 - Burn - Electrical Fault Circuit Breaker

A journeyman electrician responded to a no power trouble call by the shop operator of a drill press-mill. The electrician measured no voltage at the machine, which was connected by permanent wiring. He went to the panelboard for the circuit and noticed that the circuit breaker for this circuit was in the closed position. He reset the breaker by opening and closing it. He heard the usual click when he opened it; however, when he closed it, the circuit breaker failed and blew up in his face. The employee sustained burns to his face, apparently from the ensuing electric arc. Investigation revealed that the circuit breaker was faulty, probably due to deterioration from heating. Under load conditions, the breaker contacts would open.

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,electric arc,electrical fault,electrician,electrical work,circuit breaker,face,e gi ii,

Accident 170188254 - Burn - Electrical Fault Circuit Breaker

An independent electrical contractor was working inside a 480-volt cabinet at a beverage company. An electrical fault in a circuit breaker caused an electric arc, which severely burned the employee over his entire body. The employee was hospitalized, but he died of his injuries 26 days after the accident.

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,electric arc,electrical fault,clothing,panelboard,circuit breaker,lockout,electrical work,e gi iv,

Accident 170097729 - Burn - Electrical Fault Circuit Breaker

An employee was troubleshooting an electrical problem in a refrigeration unit. The employee tested for voltage and then went to reset the circuit breaker. As the employee closed the circuit breaker, it failed. The employee was burned by the electric arc that resulted from the electrical fault. He was hospitalized with second and third degree burns to his face and hands.

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,electric arc,electrical fault,clothing,circuit breaker,e gi vii,

Accident 170203871 - Burn - Electrical Fault Circuit Breaker

A site foreman was replacing a 480-volt circuit breaker serving a wind turbine. He turned a rotary switch to what he thought was the open position in order to isolate the circuit breaker. However, the employee did not test the circuit to ensure that it was deenergized. The employee had placed rotary switch in a closed position, and the circuit breaker remained energized by backfeed from a transformer. Using two plastic handled screwdrivers, the employee shorted two contacts on the breaker to discharge static voltage buildup. This caused a fault, and the resultant electric arc caused deep flash burns to the employee's face and arms and ignited his shirt. The employee was hospitalized in a burn unit for 4 days.

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,elec utility work,power line worker,circuit breaker,electrical fault,electric arc,clothing,lockout,e ptd,

Accident 170174585 - Burn - Electrical Fault Circuit Breaker

Two employees were troubleshooting a general electric bus tie (model no. Akrt-7d-50h). They were racking the bus tie breaker in and out of a large transformer unit to determine why it would not close. After two tries, the breaker would still not close. On the third try, an electrical fault occurred. The employees were burned by the ensuing electric arc. They were hospitalized for their injuries.

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,electric arc,electrical fault,electrician,electrical work,clothing,circuit breaker,e gi iii,

Accident 014518666 - Burn - Electrical Fault Circuit Breaker

A maintenance electrician's helper in a charcoal manufacturing plant was measuring voltage on the load side of a 125-ampere, 600-volt circuit breaker. The circuit breaker exploded and caused a fire in the panelboard in which it was installed. The employee was burned over 60 percent of his body. He died as a result of his injuries, 7 weeks after the accident. The accident was witnessed by four other employees, all of whom received minor injuries. (however, these employees were not included on the osha 170 form.)

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,electrician,electrical work,circuit breaker,electric arc,electrical fault,fire,clothing,e gi vii,

Accident 000891036 - Burn - Failure New Circuit Breaker

A county-licensed electrician with 13-years experience with his employer was installing a new circuit breaker in a panelboard. After the circuit breaker was installed, the panelboard was reenergized. The new circuit breaker exploded and caught fire, causing burns to the employee's hands and wrists. The employee was hospitalized for his injuries.

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,electrician,electrical work,circuit breaker,electrical fault,fire,electric arc,e gi vii,

Accident 014300891 - Burn - Electrical Fault Circuit Breaker

An electrician was troubleshooting a problem with an electrical system. A malfunction had developed in the electrical system, stopping the plant from operating. The electrician initiated the system start up sequence; and, when the second screen was energized, it started to hum. The electrician opened the circuit breaker and checked the manual contact switch. He then reassembled the switch and reclosed the breaker. When the electrician closed the manual switch, the supply side of the circuit breaker exploded. The electrician was burned on his face, chest, and hand.

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,circuit breaker,electrician,electrical work,electric arc,clothing,electrical fault,e gi iii,

Accident 014467336 - Burns - Fault Circuit Breaker

Three employees were replacing a tripping unit on a 480-volt, 600-ampere circuit breaker. An apparent fault in the breaker caused an electrical explosion. Two of the employees received severe burns and the third received minor burns.

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,circuit breaker,ground fault,electrical work,clothing,e gi vii,

Accident 014496228 - Burns - Fault Circuit Breaker

Three employees were attempting to remove a 4160-volt circuit breaker so that two of them could perform preventive maintenance on a motor. They started to remove the wrong breaker, which was energized. When the breaker contacts were broken, there was an electric arc that resulted in first, second, and third degree burns to one employee and burns to the face and hands of the other two employees. The accident occured in the basement motor control center of a coal-fired electric power generation plant.

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,burn,electric arc,electrical work,lockout,clothing,

Accident 014543243 - Burn - Electrical - Fault Oil Circuit Breaker

Seven power group department employees were assigned to perform maintenance on a 6.9-kilovolt, 25-cycle transformer bank. The maintenance was to include inspecting the equipment, changing the circuit breaker oil, and cleaning the transformer bushings. The work was to be coordinated so that the building housing the oil circuit breaker could be repaired by carpenters at the same time. Before the maintenance was started, it was necessary to isolate the equipment from the power source. Employee #1 closed the 230-volt tie disconnects and opened 6 delta disconnects to take the load off the secondary power side. He placed red tags on each delta disconnect. Employee #1 then checked current to the transformers with an ammeter. The check showed no load. He then attempted to open the 6.9-kilovolt oil circuit breaker. As he opened the breaker, a large flash occurred, and the building caught on fire. (the oil circuit breaker was a general electric fk breaker #s dkl 140569 59406, wsf 23308; rated 300 amperes, 15 kilovolt, 3-phase; a single-tank unit of 1920 vintage.) employees # 1, 2, and 3 were inside the oil circuit breaker building, and employees #4, 5, 6, and 7 were outside the building when the flash occurred. Six employees suffered burns. One had lacerations and contusions. The building housing the breaker was known to have a leaking roof. This could have allowed water to contaminate the oil in the tank, resulting in a diminished arc-quenching capability or resulting in a fault to ground. Additionally, the oil circuit breaker had not received scheduled service or repair since 1971 (13 years earlier).

Review: X     Keywords: electrical,maintenance,burn,oil circuit breaker ,electrical fault,clothing,elec utility work,e ptd,