I'm sure that GE's legal folks would prove (or have proven) that it wasn't
GE's fault.

The entire situation could've been avoided by some simple testing before
connecting the load center.

There never will be a shortage of incompetent people, and in many cases they
will put others' safety at risk.

Always get the asshole bitching about how urgent it is, to climb in there
and throw the switch while anyone with any uncommon sense can be somewhere
safe.

It's a worthwhile practice to open new and used line-operated equipment for
inspection (or thoroughly testing the device) before connecting them to line
voltages. This is especially important with many of the electrical devices
from China.. and many times you won't know if it's a counterfeit device.

I've mentioned in the past the insanely stupid crap that's available in the
present market, such as the normal-looking molded, 3-blade power cord plug
on a grinder, but only 2 conductors in the cord.

--
WB
..........


"Ignoramus29750" wrote in message
...
On 2011-10-04, David Lesher wrote:
At startup, the usual reason is someone screwed up; and there
is a shorted cable, connection or...

In a case I know, it was a GE ElectoCenter; a housetrailer-size
structure filled with starters. They get shipped in & installed
onto a slab with a crane. Fed with 4160 through the roof; there
was a main breaker, and 3 busbars & gnd running along the wall
behind the main & starter cabinets. It also had a small 240/120
tranformer to power lights/tools/instrumentation.

A friend was working with a contractor on the installation.
With no starters racked in, he closed the main for the first
time so they'd have local power. Little did they know the
busbars had slid down inside the wall & were touching.

The breaker exploded, blowing the locked door open, knocking
Bill onto his side, with 2nd degree burns to his arms and hands.
Behind Bill, the contractor was also down.

The arcing continued, with the feeds down from the pole to the
building finally burning loose, and flapping in the wind -- the
arc would blow them apart [right hand rule] the arc would stop,
and they'd drift togther again .ZAAAP... ZAAAP...

Bill was trying to get up when the contractor ran OVER him, foot
right on his back, going for the utility substation to pull the
primary disconnect. Before he got there, the utility fuses went
"sounding like a 12 ga. going off in my ear BLAM BLAM".

He was in the hospital for 4-5 days.




Sounds like GE did a bad job on this Electrocenter.

i