Inspection Detail

Inspection: 110345113 - Magnolia Tree Co.

Inspection Information - Office: Baton Rouge Area Office

Investigation Summary

A line-clearance tree trimmer was trimming trees away from overhead power lines. The lines consisted of an 8000-volt, single-phase conductor with neutral, a 120/240-volt, single-phase overhead power line, and a cable television cable. According to the foreman on the job, the tree trimmer, who was working from a relatively new, insulated aerial lift, ducked down in the bucket of the lift as he moved it beneath the cable television line and the 120/240-volt secondary conductors. He trimmed some branches and then began moving back under the lines when a pickup truck approach the scene. The foreman called for the employee to hold up until the pickup truck passed. However, when the foreman looked back up, the tree trimmer was standing again, with his back against the secondary conductors. The two conductors were only 6 inches apart, and it was believed that the 280-pound, 6-foot-tall employee's momentum carried him into both conductors. The injured employee was lowered to the ground. Emergency medical services administered cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, then transported the tree trimmer to a hospital, where he died a short time later. He had been electrocuted. According to the employer, the line-clearance tree trimmer had prior experience and knowledge of electrical work and of the operation of an aerial lift. The employer stated that new employees work with a crew foreman for several weeks of on-the-job training before they are assigned to permanent crews. The employer could not, however, demonstrate that the deceased employee had received any training. (The crew foreman stated that he assumed that the employee was qualified.) Also, the crew was not using radio communication. It is possible that the employee misunderstood the foreman when he yelled to "hold up" and thought that it was safe to stand up.

Keywords: OVERHEAD POWER LINE, ELECTRICAL, CPR, ELECTROCUTED, E PTD, ELEC UTILITY WORK, UNTRAINED, COMMUNICATION, TREE TRIMMING, AERIAL LIFT