Inspection Detail

Inspection: 301428397 - Certified Construction Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Hi-E-Honolulu

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was going to pick up a pallet load of roof cap sheet rolls from the ground and place the load onto the third floor roof. He was using a National Crane, Model Number 875B, serial number 19198, mounted on a Ford truck, license number 855-TJB. Employee #1 raised his 85-foot high crane boom and extended it over a 40-foot high power tree. Employee #1 then lowered the crane's hook and main hoist line over and through some obstructing tree branches and between two 11,500 kilovolt high-voltage power lines. Employee #1 lowered the crane's hook about 5 feet directly above the pallet of roof caps. The power lines were about two feet apart and about 25-feet high above the ground. Employee #1 got off his crane truck and walked to this pallet load. Employee #2 then met with Employee #1 to assist Employee #1 to rig up the pallet load of roof caps. Employee #1 realized that the load would be unstable to lift. Employee #1 then decided that he was going to use the crane's material box that was on the back of his truck to lift the roof caps up to the roof. While Employee #1 and Employee #2 were walking back to the crane, Employee #2 noticed a small blue or green fire on the right front outrigger between the right front outrigger base and the wood block. Employee #2 told Employee #1 about the outrigger on fire. Employee #2 then said that he saw Employee #1 get shocked when Employee #1 touched the front right outrigger. Employee #1 fell to the ground. Employee #1 told Employee #2 to turn off the crane. Employee #2 went to the driver's side of the crane and jumped onto the truck and also was shocked. Employee #1 received burns on the bottom of his right hand in the "narrow area" with three separate quarter inch diameter electrical burns between his wrist and baby finger "like when you are going to Karate chop someone." Employee #1 also received an exit wound on the bottom of his right foot the size of a fifty-cent coin. Employee #1 was hospitalized and was able to return to work a month later. Employee #2 complained of chest pains and was hospitalized and was able to return back to work about a week later. According to the witnesses, the crane's hoist line had swayed back and forth between the high voltage lines.

Keywords: BURN, ELECTROCUTED, ELECTRIC SHOCK, PALLET, HAND, CRANE, FOOT