Inspection Detail

Inspection: 106044183 - Dairyland Power Cooperative

Inspection Information - Office: Eau Claire Area Office

Investigation Summary

An electric utility employee was working from a ladder in a substation. He was connecting jumpers as part of a job to upgrade the substation. The employee apparently breached the minimum approach distance to a 69-kilovolt conductor. An electric arc occurred, rendering the employee unconscious. He was hanging upside down in his line worker's body belt, which had been secured to the substation structure, and his clothing had ignited. Fellow workers rescued the injured employee and extinguished his burning clothing. Although most of his clothing was made from natural fibers, repeated re-ignition of the synthetic lining of his jacket increased the severity of his burns. The employee was hospitalized for his injuries.

Keywords: BURN, CLOTHING, ELECTRIC ARC, ELECTRICAL, POWER LINE WORKER, E PTD, SUBSTATION, ELEC UTILITY WORK, ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR, ELECTRICAL FAULT