ECN Forum Forums Safety Discussion and News Safety News and Product Recalls Accidents Caused by Ground Faults

Ground Faults that caused accidents:
http://www.osha.gov


[This message has been edited by Joe Tedesco (edited 03-21-2001).]

A lot of cord connected scenario's here, note # 126052380...the one where the water dept. gets a tickle undooing the underground h2o line...


This could happen under a code compliant situation

http://www.osha.gov/cgi-bin/inv/inv1xp?s=170165856027 :
"A temporary power pole equipped with a ground-fault circuit interrupter supplied the trailer, and this was found to be wired correctly by city building inspectors. (the original report did not state why the ground-fault interrupter did not trip.)"

But it was probably because it was wired wrong!

Dspark,

There has been a sort of survey conducted recently that reports a very large percentage of non-working GFCIs are in the field. It is suggested that many are damaged by exposure to weather and power surges. This may be one that falls into that category.

I once came across a pool light (120v) with a broken lens (water in the fixture) that did not trip a properly wired GFCI receptacle. The GFCI cover was damaged or missing and I think that the contacts must've been rusted in place.

Bill

I have yet to see a non-working GFCI for any reason other than reversed line and load.

But that is because there are so few of them anyway.

I know that even I don't test my GFCIs monthly. In fact I just recently got my sons to test them all upstairs. I think I have one in the basement that hasn't been tested for a year and a half.

Perhaps so. Silly me, when I read that report I thought it said that it was wired incorrectly.