Summary:
An electrician was investigating an intermittent fault on a cooling pump at a surface gas plant and suffered an electric shock. The electrician was using a multimeter to fault find inside the energised 415V switchboard supplying the cooling pump when contact was made between the test probe and the switchboard chassis. The 415V circuit was protected with earth leakage protection set at 300mA and did not trip when the electric shock occurred. The site enacted the electric shock protocol and an ambulance attended site to perform an ECG. The electrician was cleared of any injuries.
Recommendations to Industry:
Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 clauses 146 and 157 define electrical work and stipulate when electrical work on energised electrical equipment is permitted. The Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Regulation 2014 requires live work to be notified under schedule 3 as a highrisk activity. Mines should look at their electrical control plans and confirm and communicate to all electrical workers and electrical contractors that live work is prohibited, unless it is in full compliance with the respective regulations and the mine operator has approved it.
