Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300174364 - Tt&C, Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Atlanta West Area Office

Investigation Summary

An employer was laying 102-millimeter-diameter pipe for a gas utility. The employees were installing the trench to a depth of 1.2 to 1.4 meters and were double jointing the pipe before setting it in the trench with a crane. On the morning of the accident, the supervisor responsible for the overall job site visited and gave instructions to the workers. He saw a 7.5-kilovolt overhead power line next to the road on the side where the employees were working. He also noticed that the power line crossed the road. Two foremen were also on site at the time, and the supervisor left one of them in charge. That foreman stated that he gave the crane operator no special instructions with respect to working near the power line. According to the electric utility owning the line, the employer had not contacted the utility so that the line could be deenergized or guarded. The crane lifted a joint of pipe to be welded, and the operator brought the load line to within 300 millimeters of the power line. Another employee was touching the pipe when electric current arced from the power line to the load line on the crane. The employee was electrocuted. The employer had not adequately trained the employees in the hazards of operating a crane near overhead power lines. The company safety manual had a section on cranes, but it did not address safe operating distances from power lines. In fact, the crane operator admitted that he had earlier operated the crane beneath the line and within 1.5 meters of it.

Keywords: OVERHEAD POWER LINE, ELECTRICAL, ELECTROCUTED, E C, LOAD LINE, CRANE