PAULSON ELECTRIC, INC.

FLASH FIRE - IGNITIBLE DUST IGNITED BY ELECTRIC LAMP

A HELPER WAS ASSISTING A JOURNEYMAN ELECTRICIAN WORKING AT A RESIDENCE. THE PROJ ECT ON WHICH THEY WERE WORKING INVOLVED AN ADDITION TO AND MODIFICATIONS OF THE EXISTING DWELLING. THE HELPER HAD BEEN USING A HAMMER AND CHISEL TO CUT OUT A PO RTION OF A 2-INCH-BY-6-INCH JOIST IN THE CEILING SO AS TO ALIGN A NEW ELECTRICAL BOX WITH AN EXISTING BOX. THE ELECTRICIAN ENTERED THE ATTIC SPACE TO GIVE THE H ELPER PRECISE INSTRUCTIONS AND THEN RETURNED TO THE FLOOR BELOW TO MARK THE SPOT AND TO PERFORM OTHER WORK. THE HELPER, AS INSTRUCTED, THEN PULLED ON AN EXISTIN G CABLE WHILE THE ELECTRICIAN, WHO WAS IN THE BASEMENT NEAR THE FUSE BOX, OBSERV ED THE MOVEMENT. ALL CIRCUITS HAD BEEN DEENERGIZED (BY PULLING THE FUSESTATS) AN D TESTED EARLIER. AFTER THE ELECTRICIAN LOCATED THE CORRECT CABLE, HE SHOUTED TO THE HELPER THAT HE HAD FOUND IT. THE ELECTRICIAN THEN LEFT THE BASEMENT THROUGH A DOOR LEADING TO THE GARAGE. AS HE WAS WALKING THROUGH THE GARAGE, HE HEARD SC REAMING COMING FROM THE YARD. HE RAN TO THE DOOR AND SAW HIS HELPER, RUNNING ABO UT DISORIENTED AND IN OBVIOUS DISTRESS. THE ELECTRICIAN RAN BACK TO THE DOOR AND SHOUTED TO THE OWNER OF THE RESIDENCE TO CALL FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES. THE HELPE R WAS TRANSPORTED TO A HOSPITAL; HE HAD BEEN BURNED OVER 25 PERCENT OF HIS BODY AS A RESULT OF A FLASH FIRE IN THE ATTIC. AS HE WAS WORKING, HE HAD MOVED THE IN SULATION, AND THIS PRODUCED A VERY HEAVY SUSPENSION OF DUST IN THE AIR. HE HAD B EEN USING A CLAMP-ON-TYPE LAMPHOLDER WITH A FLOOD LAMP, WHICH WAS THE PROBABLE S OURCE OF IGNITION OF THE SUSPENDED DUST. THE ATTIC HAD NO MECHANICAL VENTILATION , BUT IT DID HAVE LOUVERED VENTS INSTALLED AT BOTH ENDS. THE HELPER HAD ESCAPED THE ATTIC BY KICKING OUT THE LOWER THIRD OF ONE OF THE VENTS AND DROPPING TO THE GROUND.