OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14557474
ELEC PROTECT EQUIP,OVERHEAD POWER LINE,ELECTRICAL,CPR,POWER LINE WORKER,ELECTROCUTED,E PTD,ELEC UTILITY WORK,UNTRAINED,AERIAL LIFT
Event description
ELECTRIC SHOCK - DIRECT CONTACT WITH OVERHEAD POWER LINE
Investigation abstract
A THREE-MAN CREW WAS INSTALLING UTILITY POLES AND OVERHEAD POWER LINES TO EXTEND MENT. HE WAS APPARENTLY TRYING TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE DIGGER DERRICK'S AUGER. SHOR TLY THEREAFTER, THE LINEMAN AT THE DIGGER DERRICK'S CONTROLS SAW THAT THE SUPERV ISOR WAS IN TROUBLE. THE SUPERVISOR WAS SLUMPED BACK AGAIST THE BUCKET, HOLDING THE TOP ENERGIZED LINE WITH HIS HANDS, BUT NOW WITH THE MIDDLE ONE CONTACTING HI S CHEST. THE TWO LINEMEN ACTED QUICKLY TO RESCUE THEIR SUPERVISOR AND TO ATTEMPT RESUSCITATION, UNTIL THEY WERE RELIEVED BY PARAMEDICS ABOUT 45 MINUTES LATER. D ESPITE THESE EFFORTS, THE SUPERVISOR DIED OF ELECTROCUTION. NONE OF THE EMPLOYEE S HAD RECEIVED TRAINING IN CARDIO-PULMONARY RESUSCITATION OR IN FIRST AID. POWER TO A WELL PUMPER UNIT BY TAPPING OFF AN EXISTING 480-VOLT, 3-PHASE LINE. AT 2:15 PM, THE WORKING SUPERVISOR RETURNED FROM OFF-SITE IN TIME TO HELP THE OT HER LINEMEN SET THE LAST POLE, WHICH WAS TO BE THE ANCHOR/TAP POLE AND WHICH WAS TO BE LOCATED IN LINE WITH THE EXISTING OVERHEAD CONDUCTORS. WITHOUT DISCUSSING HIS PLANS, THE SUPERVISOR POSITIONED HIMSELF IN THE BUCKET OF AN AERIAL LIFT AN D USED THE BUCKET TO PUSH AGAINST THE EXISTING MIDDLE AND BOTTOM LINES (19.5 FEE T AND 18 FEET HIGH, RESPECTIVELY) WHILE HE GRABBED THE TOP LINE (21 FEET HIGH) W ITH HIS HAND. HE WAS WEARING LEATHER GLOVES, BUT NOT ELECTRICAL PROTECTIVE EQUIP
Victim
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 37 M
- Nature of injury
- 10
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 12
- Source
- 15
- Occupation code
- 577
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 8
- 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.