Electric Shock from Changing a Fuse in an Electrical Appliance

29. (2002)

A technician received an electric shock recently when removing a main power fuse from an electrical appliance in a research laboratory in The Faculties. The fuse holder cap did not extract the fuse (as it should have done), the fuse had not blown, the power to the appliance was on, and the electric shock occurred when the technician touched the in situ exposed fuse.

The following standard practices should always be in place when such a task is undertaken:

• the appliance is unplugged from the electricity supply before attempting to change a fuse,
• if a fuse holder cap is found to have lost its fuse-retaining function, then the fuse holder is replaced.

It should be noted that the University's electrical safety hazard managment procedures (http://info.anu.edu.au/policies/_DHR/Procedures/Electrical_Safety.asp) requires that persons working on electrical appliances must be approved to do so by the responsible Budget Unit and such persons must have completed the University's Electrical Safety course (/Training_and_Development/OHS_Training/Advanced_Courses/index.asp)

For further information contact:
OHS Officer, e-mail: OHS.Officer@anu.edu.au