Inspection Detail

Inspection: 303952519 - Larsen Farms

Inspection Information - Office: Boise Area Office

Investigation Summary

Two employees were loading one-ton straw bales on a haystack of one-ton alfalfa bales to keep rainwater off the alfalfa. One employee was training the other. The straw was being brought in on a truck driven by the employee doing the training. The employee being trained was learning to operate a farm implement known as a Road Runner Bale Squeeze. This machine looks like a large forklift, except that in place of forks, it has a hydraulic squeezing mechanism for squeezing two one-ton bales together and placing them on the haystack. The truck was positioned on the west side of the stack, which was the stack's narrow end. The bale squeeze picked up some straw bales from the truck bed and went between two haystacks to position the bales on top of one of the stacks. The stack started with 16 feet of alfalfa at the bottom, and a 4-foot-tall straw bale was being positioned on top, making the stack 20 feet tall. The mast of the Hay Squeeze was above the top of the bale. Between the two stacks ran a three-phase power line to energize the center-pivot, electric-drive equipment that waters an irrigation circle. The line was approximately 21 to 22 feet above the ground. The line was 33 feet from the haystack on which the trainee was stacking the straw. The trainer was in the cab of the truck and was not in visual contact with the trainee. On the previous day, the trainee had touched the power line with the Hay Squeeze, and he had been warned by the trainer about touching the line. The supervisor visited the site at about 6:00 p.m. and warned the trainee to be careful of the power lines. At approximately 6:20 p.m. the trainee was moving the last load of straw for the haystack. The trainer said he heard the line shorting out and saw sparks flying from the power line. He ran to the area between the haystacks and saw the line sparking and the trainee in the operator's seat. He yelled at the trainee to get out of the cab. The rubber wheels were smoking, and the trainer could tell that a fire was going to result. The trainee jumped to the ground and collapsed. The overhead power line broke and fell to the ground. A fire ensued, and soon the hay and straw were on fire. The trainer pulled the trainee from the area; he was not breathing. The trainer called the office on his truck radio, but no one answered. He called the trucking supervisor using his personal cell phone and reported the accident. A passing neighbor saw the accident and called emergency dispatch to send emergency medical technicians at about 6:22 p.m. The EMTs arrived at the scene and began to administer CPR at about 6:47 p.m. The trainee could not be revived and was transported to the funeral home. He had been electrocuted. The company supervisors and employees said that they had not had training in the hazards of overhead power lines or approach distances. They also stated that they had not had training in CPR or first aid.

Keywords: OVERHEAD POWER LINE, ELECTRICAL, AGRICULTURE, OBSTRUCTED VIEW, ELECTROCUTED, FARM MACHINERY, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, E AG, E GI IB, INATTENTION