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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