Inspection Detail

Inspection: 303155725 - Campbell Harvesting, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Tampa Area Office

Investigation Summary

Some employees were harvesting oranges in an orange grove. They had finished the south side of the grove and were working at the north side. After picking the oranges, employees would dump them into large plastic tubs, which were loaded onto a field citrus loader. The operator of the loader left the south side of the grove. He drove west down a dirt access road and turned between the last two rows of orange trees on the north side of the grove. When he turned, he saw on his left the guy for a utility pole. The pole was located in the east row of orange trees to the right of the operator. The operator stayed tight to the east side so that the boom of the loader would miss the guy. However, the boom caught the guy, and the pole snapped in two. The top of the pole, with attached transformers and overhead power lines, fell to the ground through an orange tree on the east side of the loader. An employee was working at the tree onto which the top of the pole fell. Either the falling pole hit the employee, or he tripped and fell onto one of the power lines. His son, who was working next to him, found his father lying on his back on top of the downed power line, calling for help. The son received an electric shock when he grabbed his father's hand to pull him up. The son was able to pull his father off the line with a nonconductive object, but to no avail. His father was electrocuted. (The employee who received the electric shock was not listed on an injury line on the original form.)

Keywords: OVERHEAD POWER LINE, SHEAR, ELECTRICAL, AGRICULTURE, ELECTROCUTED, GUY, ELECTRIC SHOCK, LOADER, UTILITY POLE, E AG