Alert 99 – 21 Third Party Electrocution
WHAT HAPPENED:
Recently the configuration of an electrical connection on third party equipment contributed to a tragic fatality on board an offshore rig. The 480-volt, 63-amp cable providing power from the third party generator panel to a portable hydraulic power unit (HPU) had a male (four-prong) connector. The receptacle on the hydraulic power unit was a female connector. Before power was shut off, a third-party employee touched the end of the live cable while disconnecting it from the HPU and was electrocuted.