A worker was fatally injured this past February at Carbide Industries in Louisville, KY.
Carbide Industries is calling this a “workplace accident.” At least one news report described the incident as an electrocution. The investigation is ongoing.
A company spokesperson said, “The company takes employee safety very seriously and is working with government authorities to determine the cause of this incident.”
The accident took place early in the morning of February 15, 2018. The worker was taken to University Hospital; doctors there pronounced the victim dead less than an hour later.
Sad and so Uncalled for. Hope companies will consider and use the elements of the 2018 NFPA70E to improve procedures, written programs,incident investigators
Hope companies will consider and use the elements of the 2018 NFPA70E to improve procedures, written programs,incident investigators
Dr. Tammy Gammon and I have a paper scheduled for 2018 PCIC conference. This paper will attempt to answer a few questions about why we are still having incidents when we have arc flash and shock PPE available, good training programs are available, etc.
Abstract – The electrical safety climate in the United States was different twenty years ago. Many companies did not have well-developed electrical safety programs and written electrical work procedures. Electrical workers were not trained in arc flash hazards and were not provided arc flash PPE. Unprotected workers were expected to perform work on and near energized circuits and equipment. Today, most companies have established electrical safety programs and provide arc flash training and PPE to their employees. Yet electrical injuries still occur. Electrical injuries today can be attributed to 1) well-intended electrical safety programs falling short in their implementation; and/or 2) workers failing to recognize the severe injury potential in a situation perceived as a low-level hazard. This paper addresses some reasons why electrical safety programs fail to protect workers. It also discusses the potential arc flash hazards that are associated with low-magnitude fault currents, which are illustrated through calculations.