Inspection Detail

Inspection: 303727861 - Burton Plumbing Services, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Omaha Area Office

Investigation Summary

"On the morning of June 28, 2001, Employee #1, a skilled drain technician with a plumbing contractor suffered fatal burns over 90% of his body when engulfed by an electrical explosion,. Employee #1 was running communications lines with Employee #2 and Employee #3, who had been hired as drain technicians three weeks before and were being trained by Employee #1. A coworker laborer, Employee #4, rounded out the crew.A week prior to the accident, Employee #1 was running communications cable using a water jetting device that pulled itself through the conduit. The conduit was 500 feet long and buried 3 feet to 4 feett. Employee #1 had successfully run the device through the conduit and had attached the communications cable to the end before pulling the jetting device and cable back through. This jetting device worked like a large wire fish. While pulling the jetting device and the cable through the conduit, the device became lodged at approximately ???? (missing text))After some delay, on June 27, two coworkers were assigned to dig a pit in the area where the device was thought to be lodged. They dug a pit approximately 3 feet 10 inches. deep, 3 feet 6 inches. wide, and 7 feet 6 inches. long. The following morning, June 28, Employees #2, #3, and #4 went to the site. Employee #2 used a Mmodel # Number SL2 CC1 Radio Detection Products Gator Locator, Sserial Number# OS10203GAT, to locate and track the underground conduit.By following the signal, Employee #2 felt that he had located the underground conduit and that it coincided with the small pit they had dug the previous day. The signal terminated approximately 12 inch.es deeper in the previously excavated pit. Employee #2 dug out a small 12 inch. by 12 inch. pit within the excavation.

Keywords: BURN, ELECTRICAL, ELECTROCUTED, FIRE, CONSTRUCTION, EXPLOSION, INEXPERIENCE, PLUMBING, UNTRAINED, UNDRGRD POWER LINE