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SAFETY / OSHA - 9/16/11

Hazard alert warns of dangers to workers from incorrectly rebuilt circuit breakers

OSHA issued a hazard alert, warning workers and employers of the dangers of using certain Eaton/Cutler-Hammer molded-case circuit breakers that were incorrectly rebuilt. A third-party rebuilder may have altered the circuit breakers--identified by model numbers E2K and E2KM--by using incorrect parts that can cause the breakers to malfunction.

The breakers were originally manufactured by Eaton/Cutler-Hammer as part of its E2 mining series breakers. The circuit breakers may appear to be new or properly rebuilt, but the third party rebuilder changed them from the manufacturer's original design. The alert includes instructions for what employers should do if their worksites are using the affected breakers, such as having a qualified person shut off power to the breakers, following proper lockout/tagout procedures, removing this equipment from service and replacing it with one that a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) has properly certified.

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