Incident date: 2016-12-19
NAICS industry code: 221122

On December 19, 2016, at approximately 2:55 p.m., an employee opened the 600 amp of an electrical air switch using the handle on the outside of the switch cabinet. He opened the door on the compartment containing the switch, which has a fiberglass barrier hanging vertically in the compartment. He raised the bottom of this barrier to slide it into a slot designated to hold it in place between the two electrical contacts on the air switch. As the barrier was being slid into place, an arc flash occurred, causing second degree burns to his face that required hospitalization.

Hazard classification:
code_event: title: Direct exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts
code_source: title: Switchboards, switches, fuses
code_nature: title: Second degree electrical burns
code_body: title: Face, unspecified
severity: moderate