In the past month, Encore Electric has had two team members receive a shock through energized circuits. These circuits were not under lock-out/tag-out control and were never verified for zero voltage.
In the 1st incident, our team member was working in an existing facility, doing work on exterior 277-volt lighting. The lighting circuits were fed thru a contactor, and the contactor was controlled by a 120-volt control circuit. The lighting circuits were locked out and tagged out, but the control circuit was missed. After locking and tagging out the lighting circuits, our team member failed to test and verify zero voltage at the contactor. The individual came in contact with the energized control circuit and received a shock that started at their hand and went out thru their elbow.
The 2nd incident was a team member taking a measurement for a box offset in a ceiling. In front of them was a junction box with multiple wires hanging out, there were no wire nuts or protection on the end of the wires. The building was in the state of being energized. Our team member did not check with a proximity tester or voltmeter for the absence of voltage on the wires. The 277-volt shock received went from their left arm, through the chest and out the right arm.
Both incidents could have been prevented by the simple act of always checking for absence of voltage before conducting work. All electrical equipment and conductors shall be considered energized until proven otherwise. It is the responsibility of all Encore electricians to verify a safe working condition every time they approach a new task or come back to an existing task.
Encore’s zero-voltage verification policy requirement shall be communicated daily when working in existing facilities or on buildings and installations that are in the state of being energized. Within this policy, is the requirement to have a Fluke 2AC proximity tester and a voltage meter on your person, during working hours, at all times.
Encore Electric truly appreciates every team member, and we all want to see everyone go home safely each and every day. Look out for one another, always give a helping hand and if you see something unsafe or just not right, say something. You never know – you may save someone from an injury or a life-threatening incident someday.
Please discuss in detail these two incidents, what steps were missed, what should have occurred, and what the current state of energization is in the building or installation that your team is currently working on.