Electric Safety Lesson 2002 Personal Account All personnel stationed on an aircraft carrier are given safety lectures and demonstrations. In 1990, a First Class Petty Officer assigned to the mess deck was briefing new junior personnel on electrical safety. He showed them how to fill out a warning tag on circuits undergoing maintenance, and informed them that they were forbidden to work on the circuit until a second person had double-checked the tag and circuit. In a prime demonstration of why the rules were in place, he proceeded to open and grab a circuit that he supposed was de-energized, killing himself in front of 20 thunderstruck students.
I suppose the one good thing to come out of this guys unfortunate demise is that there are now 20 people who will never forget the point that was being made.
Rather a drastic way to make sure it gets firmly into their heads though.