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Assistant pool manager electrocuted in North Carolina, July 25, 1988.

NIOSH

Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 88-35, 1988 Nov; :1-5

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/In-house/full8835.html

00186214

The case of a 17 year old female assistant pool manager who was electrocuted when she contacted an ungrounded electric motor was evaluated. The victim had worked for 3 months as an assistant pool manager for a municipality. A written safety program describing safety procedures was operational, and employees also received a 1 week orientation and on the job training for assigned tasks. She was told to add soda ash to the pool water. Apparently she entered the pump room, which was below ground level and adjacent to the pool. The concrete floor was covered with water, and she was barefooted. The victim filled the plastic drum with water, plugged in the mixing motor, and placed the motor switch in the on position. She was probably in the process of adding soda ash to the drum when she contacted the mixing motor which had developed a faulty ground and was energized. An inspection of the pump room revealed that the mixing motor was old and in poor working condition. The grounding pin on the male plug had been removed from the power cord, resulting in a faulty electrical ground. The one wire to the ground fault circuit interrupter contained in the junction box was disconnected. Another wire, the ground conductor to the ground fault circuit interrupter had not been connected, and a wire nut had been used instead. It is recommended that employers routinely inspect and repair or replace equipment that is faulty, damaged, or presents a safety hazard. The electrical equipment should have been in a room with adequate drainage to prevent water accumulation during normal operation or filter maintenance. Had the floor been dry and the victim wearing insulated boots or shoes, this fatality may have been prevented.

NIOSH-Author; FACE-88-35; Region-4; Safety-research; Accident-analysis; Work-practices; Electrical-shock; Electrical-equipment; Electrical-hazards

19881122

Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation

1989

PB89-188700

A01

FACE-88-35

DSR

NAICS-71

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

NC; WV