Inspection Detail

Inspection: 316632462 - Larry Sexton Dba J & R Cable

Inspection Information - Office: Tennessee Osha Knoxville Office - Safety

Investigation Summary

On July 23, 2012, Employee #1 and two coworkers were installing a guy for a utilility pole across the intersection of Central Avenue Pike and Beaver Creek Lane in Knoxville, Tennessee. One coworker was a flagger, and the other was a lineman. The flagger was out on Central Avenue Pike to control traffic on Central Avenue Pike before a section of cable was laid across the intersection. Employee #1 used an aerial lift to attach one end of the guy to the utility pole on the west side of Central Avenue Pike. Employee #1 boomed down, and the truck was moved to another utility pole on Beaver Creek Lane. The crew made sure that there was enough slack in the cable so that the cable would lie flat across the intersection. Employee #1 raised the bucket to an estimated height of 15 feet (4.6 meters) in order to hang the guy on the utility pole. At that point, Employee #1 saw that he had connected the guy on the south side of a fiber optic cable that was installed diagonally across Beaver Creek Lane, when it needed to be on the north side. Employee #1 boomed down and asked the lineman to hand him the cable. Employee #1 had the flagger put down the flagging sign, come over to the bucket truck, cut the cable from the reel, and hand it to him. The flagger left the roadway, walked across the street, and cut the cable using a pair of bolt cutters. Employee #1 had the cable in his hand, but not the end of the cable. He was going try to get it over the fiber optic cable line. Employee #1 boomed up to an estimated height of 20 feet (6.1 meters) and jerked the cable up, which reduced the slack in the cable that was supposed to be lying flat across Central Avenue Pike. Before the flagger or lineman could get back to the roadway, they heard noises. A pickup truck traveling southbound on Central Avenue Pike drove over the cable, and the cable became caught in its rear bumper. The lineman took off running to an open field, but he was hit in the back by the cable 5 or 6 times. Employee #1, who was not wearing a harness or lanyard, fell approximately 20 feet (6.1 meters) to the ground. The coworkers came over to the bucket truck and saw Employee #1 lying on the ground. The lineman called emergency medical services, and local law enforcement and first responders arrived. Employee #1 was transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, TN. He had been killed.

Keywords: HEAD, HIGHWAY, AMPUTATED, TELECOM WORK, EMERGENCY RESPONSE, CAUGHT BY, GUY, FALL, MOTOR VEHICLE, AERIAL LIFT