Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1397233.015 - National Grid Electric Services Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Albany Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 2:30 p.m. on April 24, 2019, an employee was working for a utility that distributed electric power. The employer was removing and replacing a 65 foot (19.8 meter) H-frame wooden pole structure in the middle of an apple orchard. The pole carried a 115 kV transmission line. In an effort to work around the apple trees, the employer decided to work within the clear areas between the trees, instead of performing line clearance and removing some trees. The employer had the right-of-way and could have removed trees to provide room to remove and replace the structure without any obstructions. The employee was working as a ground worker. He was on the ground with coworkers aligning poles to be boomed up and installed. Among them was the chief lineman, who was working nearby on the pole truck. The boom truck was operating near low-hanging lines. The lines had been deenergized and grounded. Because the trees made clearance an issue and obstructed the view of the workers, the employee had to hold the outside conductor out of the way of the boom truck. The boom truck operator could then lift a pole between the tree rows. The employee took hold of the line to move it out of the way. He touched it with his bare hands. He was not wearing rubber insulating gloves. Although the line had been grounded and was believed to be deenergized, there was an induced voltage on the line. It had become energized. The employee received a near-fatal electric shock. He lost consciousness, and he suffered burns on his right thumb and right buttock, the entry and exit points for the electric current. He was hospitalized for two or more days.

Keywords: Boom Truck, Burn, E GI II (no ppe), Elec Protect Equip, Elec Utility Work, Electric Shock, Electrical, Energized, Glove, Induced Current, Line Clearance, Maintenance, Obstructed View, Overhead Power Line, PPE, Power Line Worker, Protective Grounding, System Grounding, Training, Tree, Unconsciousness, Utility Pole, Work Rules