OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #657544
OHM TECH COMMUNICATIONS, INCORPORATED
FREETOWN, MA·
Event description
electric shock - direct contact with overhead line
Investigation abstract
A cable television lineworker was stringing a suspension strand about 0.61 meter baseball type cap--not a hard hat. The lineworker fell back into the bucket of t he aerial lift. He was not using a safety belt or a lanyard. The driver lowered the bucket, and a policeman in the vicinity administered cardio-pulmonary resusc itation. The employer, who had fewer than 10 employees, did not have a safety pr ogram. The 38-year-old cable television lineworker had about 10 years of experie nce in the field and had started installing cable with his employer about 7 mont hs before the accident. s below some telephone lines. Two employees went on the job--one as driver and t he other as lineworker--and they alternated jobs each day. The lineworker worked from an aerial lift (Telstar Model No. T-40) mounted on a Ford chassis, with an uninsulated telescoping boom. The lineworker was stringing the suspension stran d, and tree branches were in the way. Because of this, he used a saw to cut the branches. During the tree trimming operation, he elevated the bucket, and his he ad contacted a 7620-volt overhead power line. The driver on ground said that he just looked up at the time and saw a flash. The lineworker was wearing a fabric
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 38 M
- Nature of injury
- 10
- Part of body
- 13
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 15
- Occupation code
- 527
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 13
- Task assigned
- 1
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