CASE STUDY

Enhancing Public Safety with the Osmose® Vault Program

The Situation

Twenty years ago in a major U.S. city, a young woman’s dog began convulsing as it encountered a metal utility service box. When she attempted to rescue the dog, the young woman was electrocuted. Unfortunately, unknown to anyone, the service box had become energized – a condition referred to as “contact voltage.”

Contact voltage is a condition where an “energized” wire (120v or more) contacts an unintended conductive path, like the outside of a service box, the surface of a streetlight pole, or a similar public structure. This voltage is dangerous because a lethal current can be as low as 0.1 amps.

This unfortunate event spurred the utility company to engage with Osmose to develop a comprehensive infrastructure assessment program. Fill out the form to download and read more about the challenges and obstacles Osmose and the utility had to tackle and the solution they came up with.