On July 11, 1996, an electrical shock accident at Los Alamos National Laboratory that resulted in injury to a student employee.
Office of Environment, Health, Safety & Security
August 1, 1996
minute read time
August 1, 1996
The non-fatal, electrical shock accident at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) on July 11, 1996, occurred due to failures by the University of california and the accident victim (student employee). Incorrect grounding of a high voltage probe by the student employee during an electrical test was the principal cause of the electrical shock that he received. However, significant programmatic weaknesses in LANL’s electrical safety and line management programs contributed to this accident, particularly inadequacies in work planning and controls, implementation of procedures, and training.