Dedicated Electric: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Jul 5, 2013 (fatal): Employee touches frayed wire and is electrocuted

On July 5, 2013, Employee #1 and two coworkers for Dedicated Electric arrived at the single story residence work site. The work order to be completed for the da y included hanging three new light pendants over a kitchen bar, installing two n ew ceiling fans on the back patio, and replacing two other fans. Employee #1 was working in the attic, pulling cable for the new pendants while his coworkers we re working on the main floor. After the cable had been pulled and joined to an u nenergized junction box, Employee #1 told his coworkers that he was going to sco ut out a way to pull the cable for the fans onto the patio area. After approxima tely 20 minutes of no contact between Employee #1 and the coworkers, the cable b ox, which the homeowners were watching in the living area, went black. The circu it that energized the cable box and a receptacle and light upstairs had been tri pped. The coworkers called out to Employee #1 and when they did not receive an a nswer went to the attic to find out what had happened to him. The coworkers saw that Employee #1 was lying on the floor and called to the homeowners to call Eme rgency Medical Services. A coworker climbed into the attic, shifted Employee #1s body and started to perform rescue procedures. After Emergency Medical Services arrived and removed the employee's body from the attic, the coworkers inspected the attic for hazards that could have caused Employee #1s death. The coworker n oticed a damaged romex cable that powered the attic light in the area where Empl oyee #1's body was found. The cable had small frays in it. The Beaufort County C oroner surmised that Employee #1 grabbed the cable which led to his electrocutio n.