Abstract: THREE BRIDGE PAINTERS WERE FISHING 4150-FOOT WIRE ROPES FROM UNDER AN EAST-TO-WEST FOUR-LANE BRIDGE CROSSING A RIVER VALLEY. THE WIRE ROPE HAD BEEN FASTENED AT THE CENTER OF THE BRIDGE AND HAD BEEN BENT EASTWARD ABOUT 12 TO 18 INCHES BELOW THE GIRDERS. THERE WERE TWO MORE BENDS TO THE EASTERN ABUTMENT. THREE 12-KILOVOLT OVERHEAD POWER LINES (7200 VOLTS TO GROUND) RAN NORTH TO SOUTH ABOUT 14 FEET BELOW THE WIRE ROPE UNDER THE BRIDGE NEAR THE EASTERN SHORE. A 0.75-INCH MANILA ROPE HAD BEEN TIED DIRECTLY ABOVE THE POWER LINES TO THE NORTHERN RAILING, DOWN UNDER THE BRIDGE, AND BACK UP TO THE NORTHERN RAILING. THE PURPOSE OF THIS ROPE WAS TO PREVENT THE WIRE ROPE FROM CONTACTING THE POWER LINES. THE WIRE ROPE WAS REMOVED BY THE EMPLOYEES' RELEASING THE EAST END OF EACH ROPE AND DROPPING IT TO THE GROUND, 60 TO 70 FEET BELOW AND JUST EAST OF THE POWER LINES. THEN, THE EMPLOYEES PULLED THE WEST END OF THE WIRE ROPE ACROSS THE TWO CENTER BENDS AND THE MANILA ROPE AND DROPPED THAT END TO THE GROUND PAST THE POWER LINES. ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES WAS ELECTROCUTED WHEN THE TWO PAINTERS ON THE GROUND ALLOWED ONE OF THE WIRE ROPES TO CONTACT ONE OF THE POWER LINES AS THE FIRST EMPLOYEE WAS CLOSE TO OR IN CONTACT WITH THE WIRE ROPE. THE MANILA ROPE WAS THE ONLY PRECAUTION TAKEN TO PREVENT THE WIRE ROPE FROM CONTACTING THE POWER LINES.