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 #780957

OVERHEAD POWER LINE,ELECTRICAL,POWER LINE WORKER,ELECTROCUTED,LOCKOUT,E PTD,ELEC UTILITY WORK,AERIAL LIFT

Event
OVERHEAD POWER LINE,ELECTRICAL,POWER LINE WORKER,ELECTROCUTED,LOCKOUT,E PTD,ELEC UTILITY WORK,AERIAL LIFT
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
780957
Report ID
452110

Event description

ELECTRIC SHOCK - DIRECT CONTACT WITH OVERHEAD POWER LINE

Investigation abstract

A THREE-MAN CREW WAS ASSIGNED TO REPAIR A DOWNED 7200-VOLT OVERHEAD POWER LINE. THE CREW FIRST STOPPED TO CHECK A CUTOUT. THE CREW'S FIRST TASK WAS TO REMOVE A TREE WHICH HAD FALLEN ACROSS THE OVERHEAD LINE AND ACROSS THE ROAD. BOTH THE OVE RHEAD LINE AND THE NEUTRAL HAD BEEN BROKEN BY THE TREE. THE CREW LEADER THEN IND ICATED THAT THE PRIMARY AND THE NEUTRAL WERE TO BE REPAIRED FROM THE AERIAL LIFT . ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES PULLED THE PRIMARY OVER HIS HEAD WITH A HOT STICK, THEN G RABBED THE PRIMARY WITH HIS BARE HAND, BELIEVING IT TO BE DEENERGIZED. (A FLAG I NDICATED THAT THE OVERHEAD POWER LINE HAD BEEN DEENERGIZED.) HOWEVER, THE LINE W AS, IN FACT, ENERGIZED; AND THE EMPLOYEE WAS ELECTROCUTED.

Victim

  1. #1 Fatality Age 29 M

    Nature of injury
    10
    Part of body
    12
    Event type
    14
    Source
    15
    Occupation code
    577
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    18
    Task assigned
    1

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