OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14485221

OVERHEAD POWER LINE,ELECTRICAL,POWER LINE WORKER,INSULATOR,ELECTROCUTED,E PTD,ELEC UTILITY WORK,UTILITY POLE

1988-03-30T00:00:00

Event: OVERHEAD POWER LINE,ELECTRICAL,POWER LINE WORKER,INSULATOR,ELECTROCUTED,E PTD,ELEC UTILITY WORK,UTILITY POLE
Linked inspection: No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number: 14485221
Report ID: 213600

Event description

ELECTRIC SHOCK - DIRECT CONTACT WITH OVERHEAD LINE

Investigation abstract

A LINE CREW FOR AN ELECTRIC UTILITY WAS REPLACING UTILITY POLES FOR AN ENERGIZED EMPLOYEE ON THE NEW POLE GRABBED THE CONDUCTOR AND, WITH A LITTLE ADDITIONAL ASS ISTANCE, LIFTED IT ONTO THE INSULATOR. IT IS BELIEVED THAT HE WAS REACHING FOR A TIE WIRE WHEN THE CONDUCTOR SLIPPED OUT OF THE GROOVE ON THE INSULATOR AND TOUC HED THE EMPLOYEE ON THE NECK. THE EMPLOYEE WAS ELECTROCUTED. OVERHEAD POWER LINE. ONE MEMBER OF THE CREW CLIMBED A NEW POLE TO TIE ONE OF TH E PHASE CONDUCTORS OF A 4-KILOVOLT LINE TO A POST INSULATOR ON THE LOWER CROSSAR M. A COWORKER WAS IN AN AERIAL LIFT ABOUT 100 FEET TO THE NORTH OF THE NEW POLE. THE EMPLOYEE IN THE AERIAL LIFT HAD REMOVED THE PHASE CONDUCTOR FROM THE EXISTI NG POLE, WHICH HELD THE CONDUCTOR AT A LOWER HEIGHT THAN THE NEW ONE. HE THEN US ED THE AERIAL LIFT TO RAISE THE CONDUCTOR SO THAT THE FIRST EMPLOYEE COULD PUT T HE CONDUCTOR ON THE INSULATOR ON THE NEW POLE. A THIRD EMPLOYEE, STANDING ON THE GROUND BY THE NEW POLE, PULLED ON A HAND LINE TO HELP RAISE THE CONDUCTOR. THE

Victim

#1 Fatality Age 31 M

Nature of injury
10

Part of body
4

Event type
12

Source
15

Occupation code
577

Human factor
4

Environmental factor
6

Task assigned
1

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