OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14379499
POWER LINE WORKER,UNSECURED,LADDER,ELEC UTILITY WORK,FALL,FALL PROTECTION,UTILITY POLE
Event description
FALL - UNSECURED LADDER SLIPPED OFF POLE
Investigation abstract
A POWER LINE WORKER FOR AN ELECTRIC UTILITY HAD CLIMBED TO THE TENTH RUNG OF AN UNSECURED 24-FOOT FIBERGLASS LADDER THAT WAS LEANING AGAINST A UTILITY POLE. HE HAD BELTED IN TO THE LADDER IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS COMPANY'S POLICY. THE EMPLOYE E WAS CUTTING A SERVICE DROP TO A VACANT BUILDING, USING A PAIR OF TREE PRUNERS RATHER THAN THE TOOL NORMALLY USED FOR THIS PURPOSE. THE EMPLOYEE APPARENTLY JER KED HARD ON THE PRUNERS, CAUSING THE LADDER TO TWIST OFF THE POLE. THE EMPLOYEE FELL TO THE GROUND WITH THE LADDER, SUSTAINING SEVERE BRAIN STEM INJURIES, WHICH CAUSED HIS DEATH.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 62 M
- Nature of injury
- 6
- Part of body
- 13
- Event type
- 5
- Source
- 25
- Occupation code
- 577
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 13
- 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.