Inspection Detail

Inspection: 306824194 - Asplundh Tree Expert Co.

Inspection Information - Office: Va-E-Norfolk (Regional Office) - Safety 0355112

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:00 a.m. on February 20, 2004, Employee #1 of Asplundh Tree Expert Company was working from a bucket conducting line clearing operations of a 25 kva phase to phase line, was trimming a tree with a pole saw. Employee #1 came in contact with the power lines and was knocked unconscious leaving him touching two of the three phases of the power lines. Employee #1's clothing was on fire and the power lines were arcing across his body. A coworker on the ground signaled to a deputy sheriff, who was in the area, for assistance and the sheriff called for Emergency Medical Services (EMS.) The sheriff and the coworker removed the bucket from the power lines by using a long wooden hot stick to operate the truck's controls from the ground. Once the bucket was cleared, the sheriff retrieved a fire extinguisher to put out the fire that had engulfed Employee #1 in the bucket. The sheriff exhausted his fire extinguisher and requested the coworker to get the one from the truck. The fire extinguisher from the truck was empty. A nearby maintenance worker gave the sheriff another extinguisher to finish putting out the fire. Employee #1 regained conscience during this time and began to thrash around. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) arrived on the scene; it took several people to get Employee #1 out the bucket. Employee #1 was transported to the North Hampton High School football field to facilitate Nightingale service to transport him to Norfolk Sentara General Hospital. The Nightingale EMT took control of Employee #1 and transported him to the hospital at approximately 8:30 a.m. Employee #1 died from his injuries on February 24, 2004.

Keywords: BOOM TRUCK, SHOCK, OVERHEAD POWER LINE, ELECTRICIAN, ELECTRICAL WORK, AERIAL LIFT