Inspection Detail

Inspection: 317007011 - Gregory Electric Company Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Sc Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation

Investigation Summary

At approximately 3:00 p.m. on June 24, 2013, Employee #1, an electrical technician employed by an electrical contractor, was part of a work crew assigned to eliminate a power pole, because a road was being widened and the pole was in the middle of a sidewalk. The temperature was approximately 85 degrees with approximately 65 percent humidity. The crew had completed its Risk Management Worksheet meeting and had contacted the utility company about the utility disabling the enclosure on the substation breaker. The employer had grounded a truck and redirected all foot traffic near overhead lines. Employee #1 was wearing his protective helmet, harness and lanyard, safety glasses, FR2 long sleeve shirt with a 100 percent cotton t-shirt underneath a long-sleeve FR2 shirt, and long FR2 pants. He was wearing Class 3 insulated gloves that he tested on a daily basis and that had been factory tested for 30,000 volts on April 9, 2013, plus leather gloves over the insulated gloves. Employee #1 was approximately 45 feet high in an Altec AA-755-L Serial Number 1104-bz-3132 bucket that was last dielectrically tested on November 29, 2013. The bucket was on a 2004 Ford F750 material handling bucket truck Serial Number 3FRXF76P94V673315. Once Employee #1 was in position, he installed insulator sleeves and blankets to cover the energized line. He then put tension on the center phase by hooking the power line to the jib head of the material handling bucket, an action taken to relax the strain insulator so he could unhook the 13.6 KV power line from the strain insulator on the middle power line. Employee #1 had loosened the bolt from the strain insulator and put his tools back in his tool holder, but the power line would not come loose from the strain insulator. He was trying to get the power line loose when an arc flash occurred between the head of the material handling jib and the middle phase insulator extension link on the power pole. The arc flash crossed Employee #1. Emergency services were called, and Employee #1 was transported by ambulance to Lexington Medical Center. Later that evening he was moved to Augusta Burn Center. Employee #1 required treatment for first and second degree burns across the front of his body. The subsequent investigation determined that Employee #1 had been trained in maintaining proper clearance and insulating power lines while working on electrical lines.

Keywords: BURN, CLEARANCE, ELEC INSULATION, ELECTRIC ARC, SHOCK, DISMANTLING, POWER LINE WORKER, PPE, CONSTRUCTION, ELEC UTILITY WORK