105,313Records 71,083Employers 85,290Hospitalizations 27,770Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-10-31
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14528426

FRACTURE,SAFETY BELT,HYDRAULIC CYLINDER,ELEC UTILITY WORK,FALL,FALL PROTECTION,AERIAL LIFT,FOOT,LEG

Event
FRACTURE,SAFETY BELT,HYDRAULIC CYLINDER,ELEC UTILITY WORK,FALL,FALL PROTECTION,AERIAL LIFT,FOOT,LEG
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14528426
Report ID
419400

Event description

FALL - MECHANICAL FAILURE OF AERIAL LIFT

Investigation abstract

A CREW OF ELECTRIC UTILITY EMPLOYEES WAS ERECTING TOWERS FOR A SUBSTATION. TWO O F THE EMPLOYEES WERE WORKING IN A PITMAN 65 HDHA AERIAL TOWER BASKET ABOUT 22 FE ET ABOVE THE GROUND. A LOUD POP WAS HEARD, AND THE BOOM FELL TO THE GROUND. THE END OF THE MAIN HYDRAULIC CYLINDER HAD STRIPPED OUT, ALLOWING THE BOOM TO FALL. THE TWO EMPLOYEES, WITH THEIR SAFETY STRAPS HOLDING THEM TO THE PLATFORM, FELL T O THE GROUND. ONE OF THE TWO EMPLOYEES WAS JERKED AGAINST THE GUARDRAILS WITH SU CH FORCE THAT HE BLED TO DEATH INTERNALLY WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THE OTH ER EMPLOYEE WAS HOSPITALIZED WITH FRACTURED LEGS AND A FRACTURED FOOT.

Victims (2)

  1. #1 Fatality Age 42 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    5
    Source
    24
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    18
    Task assigned
    1
  2. #2 Hospitalized Age 52 M

    Nature of injury
    12
    Part of body
    15
    Event type
    5
    Source
    24
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    18
    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.