Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1476785.015 - Windstream Communications, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Iowa 0751910

Investigation Summary

At 2:00 p.m. on May 19, 2020, an employee was working for a cable television and internet service provider. He installed and repaired cable TV and internet connections. In this incident, he was installing or repairing a residential service drop that came in aboveground. The telecommunications cable was attached to a 20-foot tall (6.1-meter tall) wooden communications pole. The pole appeared to have been dedicated to communications. It was installed in 1944, so it probably carried a twisted-pair telephone line when it was put in place. The narrative did not state that the pole was also used by an electric utility. The pole was 7 in. (178 mm) in diameter. The employee leaned a Werner 24-foot (7.3-meter) extension ladder equipped with a V-rung attachment against the communications pole. The ladder was not secured to the pole. The employee was working approximately 12 feet (3.7 meters) above ground. He cut a tension wire that was ran from the pole to the residence. The wooden pole snapped back, broke at its base, and fell across an alley into a tree. The employee lost his footing and fell backward against his service truck. He landed on the gravel alley below. He suffered fractured ribs, unknown head injuries, and abrasions. Employee #1 struck the service vehicle and the ground. He was hospitalized for two or more days. He had not inspected the pole before starting work.

Keywords: Abrasion, Broken Bone, Communication Cable, Communication Worker, Extension Ladder, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Falling Object, Fracture, Hazard Assessment, Head, Inspection, Ladder, Rib, Service Technician, Struck Against, Telecom Work, Training, Truck, Unstable Position, Utility Pole