Abstract: A power line worker was working from the bucket of an aerial lift, removing a 4-inch-diameter steel conduit from along the length of a utility pole. He was wearing a body belt attached to a safety strap that was, in turn, attached to the aerial lift. The conductor enclosed by the conduit had failed somewhere inside it. The first of three 10-foot sections of conduit was unscrewed, but it was still held in place by "orangeberg" insulation. The employee pulled the conduit section towards him with both hands. It broke free of the pole, struck the employee in the head, and knocked him unconscious. He toppled over the edge of the bucket and, slipping from his safety belt, fell about 30 feet to the ground. The employee sustained five broken ribs, a broken wrist, a concussion, and bruised lung, liver, and heart. He was hospitalized for his injuries. He returned to work in November. (The employees who found him said that they heard no scream and discovered his closed safety belt and lanyard dangling over the side of the bucket.)