Inspection Detail

Inspection: 306686031 - Nutting Engineers Of Florida, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Tampa Area Office

Investigation Summary

On May 8, 2003, Employee #1 and a coworker were conducting a sinkhole investigation at a private residence in Port Richey, FL. This involved using a small drill rig and vertical extendable drill rods, which were used to take core samples of the ground near the client's home. The employees set-up the SIMCO 2400 drill rig in a pre-determined spot, which was located directly beneath overhead power lines. The workers started the core drilling process with a 5 ft 9 in. drill rod that contained the drill bit. During the course of their work, the employees added one 12 ft extension and two 10 ft extensions, for a total vertical drill rod of 37 ft 9 in. At the time of the accident, the workers were pulling out the extended drill rod when it contacted the top two phases of the overhead power lines, each of which was carrying 7,200 volts. Employee #1 was electrocuted. During subsequent investigation, the top phase of the power lines was measured to be 37 ft from the ground, and the second phase was 34 ft from the ground.

Keywords: CLEARANCE, OVERHEAD POWER LINE, WORK RULES, ELECTROCUTED, STRUCK AGAINST, CONSTRUCTION, DRILL RIG--NON-OIL