Electrical Shock During Phone Assisted Troubleshooting of Laboratory Equipment

Researchers have the potential to be exposed to a widevarietyof hazards inherent to the equipment they use and maintain. When equipmentdoes not function as expected, researchers sometimes reach out totheir vendors for assistance. Early diagnostic or troubleshootinginteractions between researcher and vendor are often conducted overthe telephone and can lead to researchers performing work outsideof their area of expertise and exposure to unknown hazards. This typeof interaction significantly contributed to an incident where duringdiagnostic activities a researcher accidentally contacted, and discharged,a capacitor in an X-ray diffraction instrument. While this incidentdid not produce a serious injury, if the capacitor discharge pathhad occurred hand-to-hand across the heart, a serious injury may havebeen possible.