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 #514547

ELECTRICAL,ELECTROCUTED,METAL POLE,E PTD,UNDRGRD POWER LINE

Event
ELECTRICAL,ELECTROCUTED,METAL POLE,E PTD,UNDRGRD POWER LINE
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
514547
Report ID
625700

Event description

ELECTRIC SHOCK - CONTACT WITH UNDERGROUND LINE THRU ROD

Investigation abstract

TWO ELECTRICAL CONSTRUCTION HELPERS FOR A POWER LINE CONSTRUCTION FIRM WERE INST ALLING A NEW UNDERGROUND CABLE. THEY HAD TO RUN THIS CABLE UNDER SOME TREE ROOTS . THEY DUG A BORING PIT 36 INCHES DEEP, THEN STARTED PUSHING A 10-FOOT-LONG STEE L ROD BY HAND TO BORE A HOLE UNDER THE ROOTS. BOTH EMPLOYEES WERE PUSHING ON THE ROD WHEN IT PENETRATED A 120-VOLT, 200- TO 300-AMPERE SERVICE ENTRANCE CABLE. T HE TWO EMPLOYEES WERE ELECTROCUTED.

Victims (2)

  1. #1 Fatality Age 22 M

    Nature of injury
    10
    Part of body
    4
    Event type
    6
    Source
    15
    Occupation code
    865
    Human factor
    10
    Environmental factor
    13
    Task assigned
    1
  2. #2 Fatality Age 19 M

    Nature of injury
    10
    Part of body
    4
    Event type
    6
    Source
    15
    Occupation code
    865
    Human factor
    10
    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.