Finding into death of Warren Frederick Glover
Deceased
Warren Frederick Glover
Demographics
76y, male
Date of death
2015-11-04
Finding date
2017-05-31
Cause of death
Electrocution
AI-generated summary
Warren Glover, aged 76, died from electrocution while investigating a water pump at a farm property. Multiple electrical faults converged to cause his death: internal failure of the pump's pressure switch causing tracking (short circuit) between live and earth conductors, a broken earth cable in the house junction box that prevented fault current from draining to earth, and a star picket connected to the pump frame that became live. When Mr Glover contacted the live star picket with his shin and simultaneously touched a metal fence, current flowed through his body to earth, causing fatal electrocution. The coroner found that while the transposed wires at the power point were substandard practice, they did not contribute to the death. Key clinical lessons: electrical hazards in non-clinical settings can be fatal; multiple system failures create dangerous combinations; preventive devices (residual current devices) are cost-effective and lifesaving; and proper documentation and testing of electrical work is essential.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Contributing factors
- Internal failure of water pump pressure switch interconnector plug with tracking of electrical current between active, neutral and earth conductors
- Broken earth cable in electrical junction box in house laundry preventing fault current from draining to earth
- Star picket connected to water pump frame becoming live due to faults in the electrical system
- Contact between star picket (live) and metal fence providing earth return path through Mr Glover's body
- Dry sandy soil conditions reducing effectiveness of star picket as temporary earth point
- Absence of residual current devices (RCDs) on house switchboard
- Lack of continuity in earthing conductor from power point to switchboard
Coroner's recommendations
- Energy Safe Victoria issue a Safety Alert to registered electrical contractors in regional Victoria notifying them of the circumstances of this death and the importance of installing a residual current device protected power point or utilising a portable residual current device on a power point when installing or performing maintenance work on an external water pump
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