Farmer Electrocuted By Faulty Welding Cable

[eastexan]

My welding cables are getting some dings and cuts and I was looking up the best ways to splice and insulate welding cables, and ran across this article. This happened a year ago, so some of you may have heard about it.
It's an eye opener as to the condition some guys will let their equipment get into.
NIOSH FACE Program: Michigan Case Report 03MI193 | CDC/NIOSH

I bought an old welder one time that came with some leads that were in terrible shape. There were several large bare places on both the ground and stinger cables.
And there was even 2 places, one on each lead, that someone had put wire rope tie-down cable clamps (saddle type) holding them rogether. And whoever put them on didn't even bother to tape them up.

Some of you all have probably seen similar or worse.

 

[flusher]

Not surprising since the problem was in the 240V power cable to the unit which was damaged.

 

[jonyyuma]

This guy did not do anything RIGHT,, and paid the price for his carelessness...maybe he staged it?

 

[slowzuki]

The leads themselves its harder to electrocute yourself but its possble as this guy found out. I have seen self sealing electrical tape (not the vinyl type) and liquid electrical tape used to repair leads. Best answer is to replace but I know thats expensive.

 

[jonyyuma]

The main failure here was no leather gloves, he never had a chance, if lying on the ground. Therefore maybe he planned it that way for insurance purposes, he had to know BETTER?

 

[Skyco]

I would never trust leather gloves to be insulators....

 

[rjmack]

alternating current... deadly.

 

[Tobias Dunlap]

I've been nailed hard before by welding current many times. I think the worst was when I was welding the inside of an aluminum tanker. I touched the tungsten of my TIG torch to the filler rod. I was laying on bare metal and was sweating very heavily. I woke up in the Foremans office about an hour later they say and I had a heavy metallic taste in my mouth for about three days. I consider myself very lucky taking into account stories like the one this thread is about.

 

[earljr59]

Good post eastexan. Sad story,but a reminder we all need to be safe while welding. Ac is scary in sweaty hot weather,he must not have been taught correct and safe procedure to use.May have tried the best he could with what he had to work with.

 

[tcartwri]

The accident report states that the man was mentally handicapped, and usually worked under supervision.... I wonder who the guy was who had trained him to work like that.