Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1472266.015 - Centerpoint Energy Houston Electric, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Houston South Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 1:00 p.m. on March 31, 2020, an employee, a lineman for a power company, and a coworker were responding to a help ticket. The crew was assigned to remove tree limbs on an overhead conductor and repair the C Phase primary conductor at a residence. The employee was standing on the ground pruning tree branches located a little over 16 feet into the air using a gasoline powered STIHL Model HT 131-Z telescoping pole pruner. While using the pruner, the wind blew the branch being trimmed onto the C phase primary conductor. This caused an electrical current to move from the conductor, through the tree branch, through the pole pruner, through the employee and to ground. The employee sustained entry and exit burn wounds on his right hand and left foot and was hospitalized.

Keywords: Burn, Cutting, Elec Utility Work, Electric Conductor, Electric Shock, Electrical Burn, Electrical Work, Falling Object, Foot, Hand, Hand Tool, Overhead Power Line, PPE, PPE Hazard Assessment, Power Lines, Shock, Tree Limb, Tree Pruner, Weather, Windy