OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14214316
THROAT,COMMUNICATION CABLE,CRUSHED,TREE,STRUCK BY,TREE TRIMMING
Event description
EMPLOYEE STRUCK IN THROAT BY WHIPPING TELEPHONE LINE
Investigation abstract
A STORM HAD BLOWN A 24-30 INCH DIAMETER TREE ACROSS A TELEPHONE WIRE, FORCING IT KERS THAT HE COULD NOT BREATHE. THE OTHER WORKERS TRIED MOUTH-TO-MOUTH RESUSCITA TION AND AN EMERGENCY TRACHEOTOMY, BUT WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL. EMPLOYEE #1 DIED AT THE SCENE FROM A CRUSHED ESOPHAGUS. ABOUT 28 FEET DOWN TO GROUND LEVEL. THE CABLE WAS SUPPORTED BY POLES LOCATED AP PROXIMATELY 20 YARDS TO THE EAST AND 90 YARDS TO THE WEST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE. EMPLOYEE #1, USING A 25 INCH BAR CHAIN SAW, CUT THE TREE FROM THE UNDERSIDE, UNT IL IT WAS ALMOST CUT THROUGH. HE FINISHED THE CUT FROM THE TOP SIDE. A TEN FOOT LONG SECTION WAS THUS SEVERED FROM THE TREE TRUNK AT THE POINT IT LAY ON THE TEL EPHONE WIRE. THE WIRE, UNDER A GREAT DEAL OF TENSION, FLIPPED THE LOG AWAY, END OVER END. THE TELEPHONE WIRE CAUGHT EMPLOYEE #1 IN THE NECK AND CATAPULTED HIM 1 2 FEET UP A STEEP BANK. HE STOOD UP AND RAN DOWN THE BANK, SIGNALLING HIS CO-WOR
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 31 M
- Nature of injury
- 12
- Part of body
- 20
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 43
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 6
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.