OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #221705346

LUMA ENERGY, LLC

NAGUABO, PR— 2024-09-27T00:00:00

Event: Bee Sting, First Aid, Ground, Hazard Assessment, Heat, Heat-related illness, Overhead Power Line, Overheated, Power Line Worker, Power Lines
NAICS: 238210
Inspection type: Federal Agency
Activity number: #347783953
Employer profile: LUMA ENERGY, LLC
Summary number: 221705346
Report ID: 0257230

Event description

Employee is fatally stung by bees while working near power l

Investigation abstract

At 12:45 p.m. on September 27, 2024, four employees of Luma Energy, LLC were Employee #1 remained behind to manage a fallen cable when he encountered a bee hive and was swarmed. Three coworkers fled in different directions and regrouped, realizing Employee #1 was missing. When they found him, he was on the ground covered in bees. They were unable to administer first aid because the bee suits were in the work vehicle. Employee #1 suffered fatal injuries from the bee stings. performing repair work on a damaged 38k-volt power line from the ground in a wooded area in Naguabo, Puerto Rico. A job hazard analysis had identified bee activity near the tops of adjacent utility poles and structural instability caused by woodpecker damage. As a result, the employees opted to work from the ground rather than from the poles. Due to the distance from the hives (over 40 feet high) and the physical demands of the task, the crew decided not to wear bee suits, citing the risk of heat stress. As the employees relocated to continue work near another pole, they began clearing a path using machetes.

Victim

#1 Fatality Age 46 M

Event type
3

Occupation code
7044

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.