Inspection Detail

Inspection: 120337902 - Diversified Utility Services Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Fresno District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 1:00 p.m. on March 28, 2003, Employee #1, an apprentice lineman, was working with energized conductors on 12-kilovolt overhead electrical distribution lines. He was working from inside an insulated aerial bucket and was wearing protective gloves and sleeves; the adjacent conductor was covered with a rubber-insulating blanket. Employee #1 was removing a hoist and grip from a conductor when a path developed between the employee's chest and the energized conductor. An electrically powered, metal-bodied hydraulic pump was located inside of the insulated aerial basket. An extension cord ran from the pump to a portable generator on a nearby digger/derrick truck. The outriggers of the truck were in contact with the earth, completing the path to ground. Employee # 1's ankle was pressed to the body of the pump and he was exposed to a short duration electrical current running from the right upper chest and exiting through his right ankle. He suffered thried-degree burns to his chest and a third-degree burn with deep-tissue loss to his right ankle, which required in-patient surgical repair. The causal factors of this accident include failure to follow insulate / isolate procedures for working on energized high-voltage conductors; and failure to adequately train personnel to recognize the hazards of introducing grounded equipment into the danger zone.

Keywords: BURN, OVERHEAD POWER LINE, POWER LINE WORKER, WORK RULES, STRUCK AGAINST, CONSTRUCTION, ELEC CIRC PART--MISC, UNTRAINED, AERIAL LIFT, ANKLE