Inspection Detail

Inspection: 309260180 - Progressive Textiles, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Atlanta West Area Office

Investigation Summary

On December 28, 2006, Employee #1 entered an electrical substation by climbing a 6 ft tall chain-link fence that had three strands of barbed wire at the top. He then walked across the top of the metal cabinets that protected the banks of transformers. As Employee #1 reached the tower area where the electrical power entered the transformer building, he contacted one of the 7,200-volt phases. He suffered a severe electric shock and multiple arcs began to emanate from the point of contact, which was just above the disconnect pull. Employee #1 fell 7 ft from the roof of the cabinet to the concrete pad on which the transformers were mounted. His right hand and arm sustained severe burns and his clothes, as well as the flesh of his right arm, were still on fire when the first responders reached him. It took several minutes for help to arrive because of the chain-link fence, and a coworker had to take down the fence for the first responders to get in. When the fire-rescue crew arrived, they cut the lock on the gate to the substation to enter the site. Employee #1 was transported to the hospital, where he died on January 6, 2007.

Keywords: BURN, ELECTRIC ARC, OVERHEAD POWER LINE, WORK RULES, STRUCK AGAINST, CONSTRUCTION, SUBSTATION, ELECTRIC SHOCK, ARM