Abstract: A power line worker climbed a utility pole to replace a broken insulator on a 4000-volt overhead power line. The employee had rubber insulating gloves in his possession but had not yet donned them. As he was positioning himself on the pole, he simultaneously contacted the crossarm brace and pole the ground. He received an electric shock and fell from the pole. He died either from the electric shock or from injuries sustained in the fall. A 4000-volt phase conductor had been lying directly on top of the crossarm. The voltage on the metal brace was measured at 2340 volts during the investigation of the accident. The pole ground was discolored, and the adjacent wood showed burn marks where the worker had placed one of his hands.