Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307454967 - Herman Weissker Inc

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

At 4:30 a.m. on October 5, 2004, Employee #1, a truck driver and laborer for a company that installs electrical conduits, was using a shovel to dig a 4 ft deep trench. The purpose of the trench was to reach an energized, 6.9 kilovolt Southern California Edison underground power line so its employees could work on it. A power company employee had already cut an underground line and he handed Employee #1 a cable cutter with a red handle, asking that he cut another one because he was already in the trench. Employee #1 began to cut into the 6.9 kilovolt line when it exploded. He was able to exit the trench on his own, and the power company worker applied burn gel blankets to his injuries and called 911. He was transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he was hospitalized for a month with third-degree burns on his hands, arms, and left leg. The power company employee had removed two elbows and ground them before the explosion, but neither he nor Employee #1 verified with one another which line was supposed to be cut.

Keywords: BURN, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, LACERATION, ELEC CIRC PART--MISC, ELECTRICAL FAULT, COMMUNICATION, HAND, UNDRGRD POWER LINE, LEG