OSHA Inspection: NORTHEAST LINE CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION

Issued

2007-11-21 00:00:00

Abate by

2008-06-30 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $3500.00 · Current $2500.00 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety & Health Act of 1970:  The
employer did not furnish
employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized
hazards that were
causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees, in
that, a journeyman,
who was working on an energized line over 500 volts, was not assisted by
another journeyman
or qualified apprentice. The company was not following the industry
Standards governing such
an operation.
Jobsite: Mount Hope Street.
A journeyman line worker was not assisted by another journeyman or
qualified
apprentice while working on energized overhead lines in excess of 500
volts.
The journeyman line worker was seriously injured when the 2,000 volt line
he was
working on shorted to a grounded part. The short caused a fire ball which
ignited the
boom truck basket he was working from and the worker subsequently jumped
from the
bucket and fell approximately 25 feet.
One method of abatement, among others, would be to have a second aerial
lift, manned by
another journeyman or qualified apprentice, nearby to assist in the event
of an unplanned event
such as that which occurred.