OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #762922
KNOXVILLE UTILITY-OPERATIONS
KNOXVILLE, TN·
Event description
ELECTRIC SHOCK - CONTACT WITH OVERHEAD LINE THRU LOAD LINE
Investigation abstract
A POWER LINE CONSTRUCTION CREW WAS INSTALLING 69-KILOVOLT SWITCHES WEIGHING ABOU THE EMPLOYEES ON THE CREW. (THE SECOND PAGE OF OSHA 170 FORM, WHICH SHOULD HAVE DESCRIBED HOW CONTACT OCCURRED, WAS MISSING.) T 250 POUNDS EACH. THE SWITCHES WERE BEING INSTALLED NEAR THE TOP OF A 90-FOOT U TILITY POLE. THE POLE SUPPORTED TWO CIRCUITS OF DIFFERENT VOLTAGES. THE TOP CIRC UIT, WHERE THE SWITCHES WERE TO BE INSTALLED, WAS 69 KILOVOLTS AND WAS DEENERGIZ ED. THE BOTTOM CIRCUIT WAS 13 KILOVOLTS. IT WAS NOT DEENERGIZED, NOR WAS IT PROT ECTED BY INSULATING GUARDS. A CRANE WAS BEING USED TO POSITION THE SWITCHES FOR INSTALLATION. THE CRANE BOOM WAS DIRECTLY OVER THE POLE. THE LOAD LINE AND HOOK WAS HANGING ABOUT 6 OR 7 FEET FROM THE ENERGIZED CIRCUIT. PRESUMABLY, EITHER THE LOAD LINE OR THE LOAD CONTACTED THE ENERGIZED POWER LINE, ELECTROCUTING ONE OF
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 39 Male
- Nature of injury
- Electric Shock (10)
- Part of body
- MULTIPLE (19)
- Accident type
- SHOCK (13)
- Source of injury
- ELEC APPARAT/WIRING (15)
- Occupation
- Electrical power installers and repairers (577)
- Human factor
- MISJUDGMENT, HAZ. SITUATION (1)
- Environmental factor
- OTHER (18)
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
Labels are OSHA's own, from the code dictionary published with the accident-investigation file. The raw code is shown beside each one so this page can be reconciled against OSHA's bulk data. OSHA notes that nature of injury, part of body, source of injury and accident type in this file are not coded to the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System, and that the occupation titles are not standardised — so these values are not directly comparable with the OIICS-coded severe injury reports.