Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310517180 - Sullivan Concrete Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Albany Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 11:00 a.m. on November 27, 2006, Employee #1, a concrete pump truck operator, was holding a water hose approximately 5 feet behind his CIFA K3Z pump truck, apparently washing the truck off after completing a pumping operation. He was operating the 36 meter boom with a wireless remote when it contacted energized 12,000-volt overhead power lines. Apparently the electricity traveled through the boom, the truck, and the wire-mesh-reinforced water hose into Employee #1, who was standing on wet ground. A few minutes later, the hydraulic tanks and lines on the truck failed, resulting in a large fire that engulfed Employee #1. He was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no witnesses to the actual accident or operation of the boom, although a DOT employee saw the incident a few seconds after the initial contact with the lines. Employee #1 was fully trained and experienced in the operation of the truck. He had put the truck in the only place he could, given the work he had to do, and had set up the pumping operation himself. Because of the truck's location and the reach of the boom, the truck and its parts were capable of coming in contact with live electric lines. Apparently, the accident was partly caused by Employee #1's misjudgment of the position of the boom and its ability to come into contact with the wires.

Keywords: CLEARANCE, OVERHEAD POWER LINE, REMOTE CONTROL, CONCRETE TRUCK, CLEANING, ELECTROCUTED, FIRE, CONSTRUCTION