UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

A power line crew was working in a suburban area, installing an overhead power line. There were two circuits supported by utility poles--an energized 66-kilovolt power line and a deenergized line. The crew was working on two 15.8-meter-high (52-foot-high) utility poles. The two three-conductor circuits were supported by insulators, and the phase conductors were located 2.4, 3.4, and 5.2 meters (8, 11, and 17 feet) from the tops of the poles. The conductors were 0.8 to 1.8 meters (32.25 to 69.38 inches) out from the pole. On the day of the accident, the three-person crew was working on one of the poles, removing pulleys and securing the conductors to the insulators, which were mounted horizontally. The weather was clear, dry, and mild. The crew had completed work on one pole and had moved to the next one. A second grade apprentice power line worker and the crew leader climbed the pole and started to work. As he was working on the top conductor of the deenergized circuit, the apprentice contacted the top conductor on the energized circuit. He received an electric shock and his clothing ignited. The employee sustained first-, second-, and third-degree burns to the upper half of his body. He was hospitalized for his injuries.