Man Electrocuted While Welding Mower

Could This Have Been You?

On average, 5,000 to 6,000 workers are killed each year. Learn from the following reports of real workplace fatalities to avoid a similar fate.

A worker on a family farm was repairing a rotary disc mower when he was electrocuted. The man was using a portable 240-volt welder that was in disrepair. Both welder cables and ground cable wiring were exposed. The ground cable was attached to a metal piece on the rotary disc mower. The victim had completed the weld on the disc and appeared to be repositioning to repair the stone guard when his face touched the mower. The mower was energized, resulting in the victim being electrocuted. The victim’s mother arrived on the scene, touched the mower and received a shock. The family dog also touched the mower and yelped. A circuit breaker had to be turned off to alleviate the hazard.

Recommendations

Investigators recommended the following:

• Equipment should be maintained in good operating condition.
• Appropriate personal protective equipment should be worn.
• All circuit breaker circuits should be labeled to identify the outlets covered by each breaker.