Technician receives electric shock while disconnecting the cables

What happened?

During maintenance works at an offshore substation, a technician attempted to disconnect a cable connecting a power source to a dehumidifier.

However, as the technician tried to unplug the wires, he received an electrical shock.

The technician stopped the work and used a multimeter and Arc 1 gloves to check for potential electrical leakage.

The remaining voltage was approximately 145 V near the plug surface, with 0 V on the plug/powerstation side.

Since there was no breaker on or around the powerstation, they then used Arc 1 gloves to remove the plugs from the power source and disconnect the cables.

Why did it happen?

When unplugging the cables, water was dripping, and was visibly pooling inside the plugs.

Both of the 400V/32A and 220/16A plugs/cables were not waterproof as designed.

Water can easily seep into the plugs from the cable even when caps are fully screwed into place.

What did they learn?

Always wear the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) gloves when working.

Without gloves, this case could have been far worse.

Stop work and call for help if things do not go as expected.

A pre-operation site inspection to familiarise yourself with the site setup is recommended, even for urgent activities.

Ask yourself or your crew

What is the correct PPE available for the task and do you have it?

Is a multimeter present to test and verify 0 energy status?

Has a risk assessment been done prior to the task starting?

How do you ensure the correct people know about any problems or faults found while completing work?

What happened?

During maintenance works at an offshore substation, a technician attempted to disconnect a cable connecting a power source to a dehumidifier.
However, as the technician tried to unplug the wires, he received an electrical shock.
The technician stopped the work and used a multimeter and Arc 1 gloves to check for potential electrical leakage.
The remaining voltage was approximately 145 V near the plug surface, with 0 V on the plug/powerstation side.
Since there was no breaker on or around the powerstation, they then used Arc 1 gloves to remove the plugs from the power source and disconnect the cables.
Why did it happen?

When unplugging the cables, water was dripping, and was visibly pooling inside the plugs.
Both of the 400V/32A and 220/16A plugs/cables were not waterproof as designed.
Water can easily seep into the plugs from the cable even when caps are fully screwed into place.
What did they learn?

Always wear the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) gloves when working.
Without gloves, this case could have been far worse.
Stop work and call for help if things do not go as expected.
A pre-operation site inspection to familiarise yourself with the site setup is recommended, even for urgent activities.
Ask yourself or your crew

What is the correct PPE available for the task and do you have it?
Is a multimeter present to test and verify 0 energy status?
Has a risk assessment been done prior to the task starting?
How do you ensure the correct people know about any problems or faults found while completing work?