Appalachian Power Company North Charleston Service Center

An employee and two crewmembers were dispatched to repair downed utility conductors after a tree fell onto the facilities and caused a power outage. The injured employee climbed the utility pole to untie the conductor so the team could pull the conductor up into position from the ground. The employee attached a web hoist to the conductor and needed to reposition the hoist to continue removing slack. As he resumed pulling slack with the web hoist, the pole made a cracking sound and subsequently fell in the direction he was working. The pole then fell to the ground with the injured employee still attached, resulting in fractured ribs, a compression fracture of their vertebrae, and a laceration to the chin.