Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1491312.015 - Kautz Construction Co.

Inspection Information - Office: Allentown Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 12:30 p.m. on September 1, 2020, an employee was working for a roofing contractor. He was a roofer. The firm's workers were at a construction project on a commercial building. The firm was working at an automotive dealership that sold new and used cars. It was raining. The employee was operating a Skyjack model number SJ61T aerial lift. He was wearing a hardhat, a harness, a lanyard, and safety glasses. There was an overhead power line next to the roof. It had not been deenergized or grounded. One account suggested that the lines were energized at somewhere between 200 kilovolts (kV) to 350K kV. The employee was bringing down trash from the roof to throw into a dumpster. He was lowering the lift's arm from the 30-foot (9.1-meter) roof and swung it over to the dumpster, located under the power lines. By one account, the lift struck an energized conductor. An electric current arced from the phase conductor and entered the employee's right wrist. By another account, the employee struck the line and received electrical burns to his face and hands. In any event, the employee suffered an electric shock and electrical burns. He was hospitalized. There was no spotter on the ground directing the employee while he was operating near the lines. When fully extended, the boom height was 61 feet (18.6 meters). The operator's manual stated that the lift was not insulated and that personnel should maintain a safe approach distance from power lines. It referenced the distance, the ANSI standard, and the OSHA standard. The manual provided a chart for safe approach distance by voltage in the electrical lines. The chart showed a safe approach distance of 20 feet (6.1 meters) for lines energized at 200 kV to 350 kV.

Keywords: Aerial Lift, Commercial Building, Conductor, Construction, Dumpster, E C (construction), Electric Conductor, Electric Shock, Electric current, Electrical, Electrical Burn, Energized, Face, Hand, Lift operator , Overhead Power Line, Roof, Roofer, Roofing, Work at Elevation, Wrist