Inspection Detail

Inspection: 119579993 - Phillip K Bennett

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

The owner of a farm and two employees were inserting a 40-foot-long, 6-inch-diameter aluminum pipe into an 8-inch-diameter opening in a well. The well opening was located 29 feet, 3 inches from a 7500-volt overhead power line. The neutral conductor on the power line was 23 feet above the ground, and the phase conductor was 5 feet above that. The farm owner decided that he would hold the base of the pipe while the two employees walked the pipe up to a vertical position, where it would slide into the opening. The employees positioned the pipe so that it would not contact the overhead power line. As the two employees got to a distance of 8 feet from the base of the pipe (the more distant employee was 10 feet away from the base), the pipe slipped and contacted the power line. All three men received electric shocks and were knocked unconscious. Employee #1 and the owner (employee #3) sustained first degree burns to their right hands and right feet. The other employee sustained first degree burns on the left side of his face and on his left shoulder and sustained third degree burns on both his feet.

Keywords: BURN, OVERHEAD POWER LINE, ELECTRICAL, AGRICULTURE, ELECTRIC SHOCK, E AG, METAL PIPE