Incident date: 2024-04-19
NAICS industry code: 423820

Two employees were pressure washing a tub grinder. The grinder was receiving power from a forklift so that its hydraulics could rotate and tilt the tub. One of the employees was in a tractor hooked up to the tub grinder; the other was beside the grinder operating the switches to raise the conveyor off the top of the tub so that it could be tilted for cleaning. When the conveyor was nearly vertical, it came into contact with high-voltage powerlines. The employee in the tractor jumped out and came into contact with a 12-volt plug that had become energized due to the contact with the powerlines. He was shocked, lost consciousness, and fell to the ground. He was hospitalized, having suffered third-degree burns over about 15 percent of his back and buttocks, as well as burns to his left hand.

Hazard classification:
code_event: title: Indirect exposure to electricity  greater than 220 volts
code_source: title: Power lines, transformers, convertors
code_nature: title: Electrical burns and electrocution
code_body: title: Body systems and other part(s) of body
severity: moderate