Makeshift Repairs Lead to Workers Death

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#178 by Safety Toolbox Talk Webmaster
Makeshift Repairs Lead to Workers Death was created by Safety Toolbox Talk Webmaster

An employee in a manufacturing plant was found dead of a heart attack believed to have been caused by electric shock.

About two weeks before the fatality an electric motor on a vibrator table had been removed for cleaning. An electrical connection had been severed and then repaired in a makeshift manner at that time. This seemingly minor repair was left unreported.

After the repair the vibrator machine was not properly grounded; an electrified vibrator table top was the result.

Three fellow workers had received minor electrical shocks from the same table prior to the shock which is believed to have killed the victim.

Unauthorized and unqualified personnel who make repairs to equipment not only endanger fellow workers but they also endanger themselves. In this case, it appears that the victim himself had made the faulty repairs which presumably led to his death. Failure to report the damage to the equipment and the electrical shocks received by the other workers also contributed to this fatality. Unauthorized repairs should never be carried out, and all potential hazards should be reported immediately.

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