Inspection Detail

Inspection: 301994075 - Irby Construction Co. Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Baton Rouge Area Office

Investigation Summary

A five-employee power line crew was disabling warning lights on two electric utility towers. (The lights were no longer needed.) A river separated the towers. The employees could reach the west-side tower by truck, but had to access the east-side tower by boat or helicopter. Three employees went to work on the west-side tower, and two went to the other tower by boat. On the east-side structure, a 7680-volt vertical tap ran from the transformer supplying the bottom lights up to the top of the tower, where it connected to the power line. The employees discussed the job before work started, and they understood that the power line was energized. The two employees working on the east-side tower disconnected the 7680/120-volt transformer, which was located near the bottom light. One of the employees climbed up the ladder to the next higher light while his coworker went up to the top light. The first employee accessed the middle-level light by climbing along the outside of the tower. He tied off and disabled the light. When he unhooked his lanyard and prepared to move back to the inside of the tower, he contacted the energized tap with his right arm. He fell 25.9 meters to the ground. The coroner's report listed the cause of death as electrocution. A burn mark was found on the steel structure where his left arm had been touching.

Keywords: ELEC PROTECT EQUIP, OVERHEAD POWER LINE, ELECTRICAL, POWER LINE WORKER, ELECTROCUTED, E PTD, ELEC UTILITY WORK, TOWER