Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 002 Hazard:

29 CFR 1926.959(d)(2):Observer. A designated employee other than the equipment operator shall observe the approach distance to exposed lines and equipment and provide timely warnings before the minimum approach distance required by paragraph (d)(1) of this section is reached, unless the employer can demonstrate that the operator can accurately determine that the minimum approach distance is being maintained. a. On or before July 6, 2021 at a right of way located near 16th St. and Mill Street in Coshocton Ohio where employees were using a digger derrick to load previously removed wooden electrical poles onto a trailer for removal from the worksite, an employee was not designated to observed the approach distance of the boom and the energized overhead lines when the boom came into contact with the lines, resulting in the hospitalization of an employee due to the resulting electrical shock.