Inspection Detail

Inspection: 309469294 - Mastec North America Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Charleston Area Office

Investigation Summary

On November 22, 2006, Employee #1, a lineman, was part of a three-man crew adding a third wire to an existing power line. The existing service was a 12-kilovolt pole consisting of two hot wires and a neutral. The crew's company had been contracted by Allegheny Power to add a fourth wire to provide three-phase service to a local company. Once up on the pole, Employee #1 found that the pole's cross-arms were rotten and needed replacement. After completing this, and after moving the primary phase from the old crossarm to the new crossarm, Employee #1 contacted the 7,200-volt line. The entry wound was on his back left shoulder and the exit wounds were on his lower calves. He was transported to the hospital, where he died two days later. At the time of the accident, he was wearing 13 in. long Salisbury leather protectors over 10 1/2 in. long Salisbury Type I Class 3 protective rubber gloves, White Rubber Corporation Type I Class 2 rubber sleeves, head protection, eye protection, and flame-retardant shirt and pants. Three WH Salisbury & Company Class 3, Type II line hoses and two Salisbury Class 4 Type II insulating rubber blankets were also in use. The hoses were on two neutral lines and one primary phase. One blanket was wrapped and secured around another primary phase. The other blanket was draped across the end of the new crossarms. The primary phase that Employee #1 moved from the old crossarm to the new crossarm was not protected with a line hose or insulating blanket.

Keywords: ELEC PROTECT EQUIP, INSTALLING, OVERHEAD POWER LINE, POWER LINE WORKER, ELECTROCUTED, STRUCK AGAINST, CONSTRUCTION, ELECTRICAL WORK, CROSSARM