On Friday August 15, 2019, a 44-year-old contract electrician with 10 weeks of mining experience was electrocuted when he contacted a 120V cable while working inside a fire suppression system’s electrical panel.
Best Practices:
- Ensure miners receive proper training on all electrical related tasks.
- Ensure that circuit breakers and switches are properly labeled.
- Properly lock-out and tag-out electrical circuits prior to working on them.
- Wear properly rated and well maintained personal protective equipment while troubleshooting or testing energized circuits.
- Use properly insulated tools when performing electrical work.
- Use properly rated electrical meters and non-contact voltage testers to ensure electrical circuits have been de-energized prior to performing electrical work.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).