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 #998989

BURN,CLOTHING,BOOM TRUCK,OVERHEAD POWER LINE,ELECTRICAL,BOOM,E C,ELECTRIC SHOCK

Event
BURN,CLOTHING,BOOM TRUCK,OVERHEAD POWER LINE,ELECTRICAL,BOOM,E C,ELECTRIC SHOCK
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
998989
Report ID
552700

Event description

ELECTRIC SHOCK & BURN - CONTACT WITH OVERHEAD LINE THRU BOOM

Investigation abstract

AN ELECTRICIAN AND ANOTHER CONSTRUCTION WORKER WERE INSTALLING DECORATIVE STEEL ME TOO CLOSE TO THE OVERHEAD LINE. THE ELECTRICIAN RECEIVED AN ELECTRIC SHOCK, A ND HIS CLOTHES CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE OTHER EMPLOYEE WAS BURNED ON HIS HANDS AS HE TRIED TO EXTINGUISH THE FLAMES. THE ELECTRICIAN WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL, WHERE HE DIED 20 DAYS LATER FROM SEPTIC COMPLICATIONS RESULTING FROM SEVERE BURNS. LIGHTING POLES IN A SCHOOL PARKING LOT. THE POLES WERE 30 FEET LONG. AFTER PLACI NG ONE POLE, THEY WERE MOVING THE NEXT ONE INTO POSITION. THEY HAD TO TRAVEL ABO UT 200 FEET PARALLEL TO A 115-KILOVOLT OVERHEAD POWER LINE. THEY HAD USED A NYLO N SLING TO ATTACH THE POLE TO A BOOM TRUCK HOIST, AND THE BOTTOM OF THE POLE WAS RESTING HORIZONTALLY ON A STEEL STEP AT THE REAR OF THE TRUCK. TO STEADY THE PO LE, THE ELECTRICIAN HELD ONTO THE TWO BRACKETS AT THE TOP END OF THE POLE, WHILE THE OTHER EMPLOYEE DROVE THE TRUCK. AS THEY NEARED THEIR DESTINATION, THE DRIVE R TURNED RIGHT TO POSITION THE TRUCK. MEANWHILE, THE BOOM EITHER CONTACTED OR CA

Victims (2)

  1. #1 Fatality Age 53 M

    Nature of injury
    10
    Part of body
    4
    Event type
    13
    Source
    15
    Occupation code
    575
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    18
    Task assigned
    1
  2. #2 Non-hospitalized injury Age 50 M

    Nature of injury
    5
    Part of body
    12
    Event type
    14
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    599
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    18
    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.