Teen electrocuted changing bulb at gas station

[willshak]

The report says he was electrocuted while changing a bulb. It does not say that it was the actual changing of the bulb that electrocuted him.

"But something went wrong as the San Francisco resident climbed on top of a *metal enclosure* that holds propane tanks on the outside of the 76 gas station at 101 S. Mayfair Ave., police said. Somehow, as Algazawy changed the florescent light bulbs on the outside of the station, *he came into contact with a 120-volt power source* and was electrocuted, San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said".

[Jim Yanik]

"Steve B" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

no,you just have to touch the HOT side and be touching some other ground point. resting one arm on an aluminum ladder sited on the ground could be enough.

[Pete C.]

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Based on that description I would think that it was normal 8' flouro lamps, the reflector / cover was missing and probably a wire nut had fallen off exposing the twisted and still connected power lead which he bumped while maneuvering the 8' tube. Falling from standing on the 6' high or so LP tank cage probably sent him head first into concrete as well.

Certainly a better report than the original one. Either way sucky for the kid and the manager.

[Steve B]

Poor guy. First he gets zapped. Then he falls no one knows how far and hits who knows what. Then his only aide and rescuer has a heart attack. I wonder what was going through that poor guy's mind.

Steve

[Tegger]

"Steve B" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Had exactly that happen to me once.

I worked in a packaging factory in the early-'80s. My machine had a pair of single-pin 8-footers above the takeoff section. One day, while incautiously lifting and raising some very large corrugated sheets, I felt a thump, heard a heard a CRACK-tinkle, and it suddenly got a lot darker. I instantly knew /exactly/ what had happened, dropped the load and sprinted out of there. Just in time.

It took me fifteen minutes to clean up the glass and powder, replace the bulbs and continue my work. Got LOTS of respect for those bulbs now...

[clare]

to

Doesnt even, necessarily, make you WHITE.

[Tony]

Besides him possibly being grounded, if the voltage and frequency is high enough, you don't even need a ground path. Imagine a little static shock you often get in the winter, then think of that same little zap hitting you 120 times per second, or if it's from an electronic ballast the frequency goes up to 20,000 Hz (40,000 times per second) or higher.

[Tom Horne]

I think I will wait for the Cal OSHA report. It will even have pictures of something other than the grieving relatives.

-- Tom Horne

[The Daring Dufas]

At one time, service stations commonly used long florescent HO lighting fixtures mounted on poles at an angle to light the lots. The fixtures went away when HID lighting became more common. Are those the lights you're referring to?

TDD

[terry]

'tmclone' does not sound Irish? But one Irish is probably much like another?

[Steve B]

'tmclone' does not sound Irish? But one Irish is probably much like another?

reply: Wasn't the first cloned sheep in Ireland? And they found another use for sheep in Ireland: wool.

Steve

Visit my blog at

[Existential Angst]

Sure there is. But all competent journalists are unemployed.

Cuz, well, iny moron can cull press releases, and special interests as often as not submit "the article" pre-written, pre-formatted down to the column-inch, so all's the "journalist" has to do is add his byline.

I love reading the NYTimes Book Review as well.-- half those goddamm book reviewers are just profiling themselves, and/or are tyrna show the world they know more about the subject than the author they are reviewing.

The dick-waving never ends.

Heh, I was wondering about those 16-footers myself.

[mycomputer3]

I worked for a company in the 80s that went to companies to change bulbs. We did grocery stores, chain stores, department stores, factories, and large warehouses. I have never seen any florescent bulb longer than 8 footers. The standards are the 4 footers. The reporter was likely enticed by a 16 foot long fixture containing 2 eight foot bulbs or 4 four foot bulbs (or doubles of them).

I cant even imagine trying to handle a 16 foot bulb without smashing it on something. Even the 8 footers can be tricky in a small or cluttered room. Most of the time we used them, they were in factories with lots of head room.