Electrical safety FACE Reports

FACEValue: Mechanic crushed to death under electrical cabinet

December 18, 2016
One Comment

Case report: #15-NJ-07*
Issued by: New Jersey Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program
Date of incident: Winter 2015

A 62-year-old mechanic died after being crushed when the 994-pound electrical cabinet he was working on tipped over. The incident occurred at a frozen food manufacturing facility, where the victim had worked for about 25 years. The victim was removing salvageable equipment from a non-working electrical cabinet. To reach some of the higher components, he had to stand on the bottom shelf of the cabinet. Although no one was witness to the incident, investigators believe that while the mechanic was standing on the bottom shelf, the cabinet tipped over and trapped him as it crashed to the ground. The victim died less than an hour later from compressional asphyxia combined with chest and cervical spine injuries.

To prevent future occurrences:

  • Develop a safety plan based on a job hazard analysis of the workplace, and ensure employees follow the plan at all times.
  • Ensure proper support and structural integrity is in place when working on an object that may present a tipping hazard.
  • Anchor any object that may present a tipping hazard to a wall or fixed object.

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Troy Jandrasitz
January 5, 2017
I read the tragic FACEValue article: "Mechanic crushed to death under electrical cabinet" and while I agree with the preventive measures in general, I have concern that it missed a key preventive measure: 1. The article states "To reach some of the higher components, he had to stand on the bottom shelf of the cabinet". In my opinion, there was no need to have to stand on the bottom shelf. I would not think the bottom shelf of an electrical cabinet is designed to be a step or working platform. A step ladder, or other suitable work platform should have been used to reach the higher components; or since the cabinet was no longer operational, it should have laid on its side to access any salvageable parts. The first preventive measure listed (i.e., develop a job hazard analysis), may have been able to address this issue. 2. The last two preventive measures focus on support, structural integrity and anchoring of the non-working electrical cabinet. But this still implies acceptable use of the bottom shelf of the cabinet as a step or working platform - a function that it is likely not designed to serve. Thanks for sharing the incident in your magazine and the opportunity to discuss thoughts in improving worker safety.
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