OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #947119
BURN,OVERHEAD POWER LINE,ELECTRICAL,ELECTROCUTED,LADDER,METAL LADDER,ELECTRIC SHOCK,HAND,E GI IB,FOOT
Event description
ELECTRIC SHOCK - CONTACT WITH OVERHEAD LINE THRU LADDER
Investigation abstract
TWO PAINTERS WERE PAINTING THE EXTERIOR TRIM OF A HOUSE. THE TWO EMPLOYEES DISCU D HEARD AN EXPLOSION. WHEN HE ARRIVED ON THE SCENE, HE SAW THE LADDER STILL IN C ONTACT WITH THE POWER LINE.) THE SECOND PAINTER HEARD THE FIRST ONE HOLLER AND W ENT TO HELP. THINKING THAT THE LADDER WAS FALLING, THE SECOND PAINTER GRABBED TH E LADDER AND WAS KNOCKED AWAY BY AN ELECTRIC SHOCK. ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO RESUSC ITATE THE FIRST EMPLOYEE, WHO WAS NOW UNCONSCIOUS AND WHO HAD STOPPED BREATHING. HE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD ON ARRIVAL AT THE HOSPITAL. THE SECOND EMPLOYEE WAS HOSP ITALIZED FOR SECOND AND THIRD DEGREE BURNS TO BOTH HANDS AND FEET. NEITHER EMPLO YEE HAD BEEN TRAINED TO RECOGNIZE AND AVOID HAZARDOUS SITUATIONS. SSED HOW THEY WERE GOING TO PAINT THE TRIM AT THE SECOND FLOOR LEVEL AT THE REAR OF THE HOUSE. A THREE-PHASE, 7200-VOLT OVERHEAD POWER LINE WAS LOCATED OFF THE LEFT CORNER OF THE REAR DECK OF THE HOUSE AT A HEIGHT OF 22 FEET. ONE OF THE TWO PAINTERS EXTENDED A 30-FOOT-LONG METAL LADDER TO A HEIGHT OF 24 FEET, 4 INCHES. HE THEN STOOD THE LADDER STRAIGHT UP TO RELOCATE IT. AS HE DID THIS, THE TIP OF ONE OF THE LADDER'S SIDE RAILS CONTACTED THE LOWEST PHASE CONDUCTOR OF THE POWE R LINE. THE PAINTER RECEIVED AN ELECTRIC SHOCK AND WAS FOUND ROLLING AROUND IN T HE YARD, SCREAMING IN PAIN, BY A PASSING LOCAL POLICE OFFICER. (THE POLICEMAN HA
Victims (2)
-
#1 Fatality Age 24 M
- Nature of injury
- 10
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 15
- Occupation code
- 579
- Human factor
- 8
- Environmental factor
- 2
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 30 M
- Nature of injury
- 10
- Part of body
- 11
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 15
- Occupation code
- 579
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 2
- 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.