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 #976159

BACKHOE BOOM,BURN,OVERHEAD POWER LINE,ELECTRICAL,BOOM,ELECTROCUTED,E C,ELECTRIC SHOCK,BACKHOE,HAND

Event
BACKHOE BOOM,BURN,OVERHEAD POWER LINE,ELECTRICAL,BOOM,ELECTROCUTED,E C,ELECTRIC SHOCK,BACKHOE,HAND
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
976159
Report ID
551800

Event description

ELECTRIC SHOCK - CONTACT WITH OVERHEAD LINE THRU BOOM

Investigation abstract

TWO EMPLOYEES WERE LAYING PIPE IN A 7-FOOT-DEEP TRENCH THAT WAS LOCATED DIRECTLY BENEATH AND PARALLEL TO A 7200-VOLT OVERHEAD POWER LINE. THEY WERE LAYING AN 18 -FOOT LENGTH OF PIPE. ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES WAS OPERATING A CATERPILLAR 235 BACKH OE (SERIAL NO. 32K0960) TO RAISE THE PIPE. THE PIPE WAS ATTACHED TO THE BOOM OF THE BACKHOE BY MEANS OF A WIRE ROPE AND A HOOK ON THE BACKHOE BUCKET. THE OTHER EMPLOYEE GRABBED THE WIRE ROPE TO PREVENT THE PIPE FROM SWINGING. AT THAT MOMENT , THE BOOM ON THE BACKHOE CONTACTED THE POWER LINE. THE EMPLOYEE HOLDING THE WIR E ROPE WAS ELECTROCUTED. THE BACKHOE OPERATOR RECEIVED MINOR BURNS ON HIS HANDS.

Victims (2)

  1. #1 Fatality Age 23 M

    Nature of injury
    10
    Part of body
    4
    Event type
    13
    Source
    15
    Occupation code
    869
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    18
    Hazardous substance
    8870
    Task assigned
    1
  2. #2 Non-hospitalized injury Age 29 M

    Nature of injury
    10
    Part of body
    12
    Event type
    13
    Source
    15
    Occupation code
    853
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    18
    Hazardous substance
    8870
    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.