Summary of incident
In February 2018, an electrician went to install a new power supply in a wall-mounted, low voltage (415 V) switchboard to provide three-phase power for an electric motor. He removed the escutcheon panel from the front of the switchboard (which was still live) and, as he tried to remove an existing circuit breaker with a screwdriver, there was an arc flash.
The electrician received thermal burns to his face, upper body and hands. His assistant also received burn injuries and both workers were temporarily blinded. Both the electrician and his assistant required hospital treatment for their injuries.
Direct causes
- There was a short circuit while working on the live switchboard.
Contributory causes
- Electrical work was undertaken while the switchboard was live.
- An inadequate risk assessment was conducted before carrying out the live electrical work.
- There were inadequate fault protection devices upstream of the switchboard.
- Inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE) was worn.