Energy type: 
Electricity
 
Event summary: 
Energy Safety carried out an investigation after a dog received a fatal electric shock in a water fountain. The cause was due to an incorrect repair to a light fitting. It could not be established who had carried out the repair.
 
Accident ID: 
170216-01
 
Accident date: 
26 January 2017
 
Site: 
Public
 
Environment: 
Outside (above ground)
 
Voltage: 
230
 
Equipment: 
Light fitting
 
Accident type: 
Electrical shock
 
Casualty: 
Non-fatality
 
Injury: 
No injury
 
Property damage level: 
Restricted to the direct vicinity of the equipment
 
Outcome of investigation: 

A 12v pond light fitting had been incorrectly connected to a 230v supply. The light fitting corroded causing the water to come into contact with live terminals and the pond to become live. A dog jumped into the pond and was electrocuted. Energy Safety was able to confirm that the installation was correctly installed originally and that a ‘repair’ had been carried out by an unknown person at a later date. This person could not be identified. The owners of the pond took steps to eliminate the possibility of this occurring in similar installations and set up a routine periodic inspection of all other electrical installations.

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