A 33-year-old worker died Wednesday from an apparent electrocution at Caribbean Distillers in Auburndale, Fla.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office reported that Aaron Rowe of Kissimmee, Fla., was attempting to fix a conveyor belt and had appeared to turn off power to the line he was working on. He then spliced the wires to make the connection to the motor. Unbeknownst to Rowe, a wire connected to the motor was live, and officials say the lock-out system used to shut off power was affixed to the wrong circuit breaker.
Rowe, who suffered burns to his hands, was pronounced dead at Winter Haven hospital approximately one hour after being shocked.
An autopsy will determine an official cause of death. OSHA is investigating the incident.
