Surface – Phosphate – On April 19, 2018, a miner was trouble shooting a electrical issue on a skid mounted control center for a pumping system when they came in contact with 4160 volts. The miner appeared uninjured but was hospitalized overnight for observation.
Best Practices
- Develop, communicate, and follow a written plan before performing electrical work to ensure that safety is maximized for all miners involved in the task.
- Miners performing electrical work should have the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the task.
- Ensure all electrical circuits and circuit breakers are identified properly before troubleshooting or performing electrical work.
- Prior to conducting any electrical work, identify hazards, establish safe limits of approach.
- Wear properly rated and well maintained PPE (including coveralls, jackets, eye protection, insulated gloves and tools).
- Before working on equipment, always de-energize, lock and tag out the circuit with your lock and tag.
- Test to ensure electrical circuits are de-energized using properly rated test equipment prior to performing work.