Electrical Plug Incident

Joe Kilar - April 2007

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Summary from ORPS Report

Researcher attempted to unplug a compressor from a 208 Volt receptacle.

Plug housing and cable disconnected from the plug base which remained in the receptacle.

Another researcher advised him to leave the plug as is and report it to the staff.

Instead the researcher used needle nosed pliers to try to pry and remove the plug base from the receptacle.

In blind reaching while doing so, the pliers shorted a phase to ground resulting in a short and subsequent arc and sparks.

Incident occurred in the evening but staff was not informed until 0830 the next morning.

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Receptacle

208 VAC receptacle – on left

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Pliers

Needle nosed pliers used

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Plug separation

Separation of plug housing and cable from the base

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Plug separation

Plug housing and cable separation from base

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Close-up of pliers

Pliers close-up

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Close-up of plug base

Plug close-up

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Comments and Lessons Learned

Reiterate that unqualified persons are not permitted to perform electrical work, especially energized electrical work.

Reiterate that persons must suspend activity and seek assistance when encountering any problems with an electrical plug and/or receptacle.

Blind reaching when performing energized electrical work is dangerous and prohibited.

Instances of unauthorized energized electrical work are not only unsafe but also effect a fee measurement that financially impacts the Laboratory.

The researcher is currently disbarred from further research at the Laboratory jeopardizing his dissertation and thereby his Ph.D.