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Contract worker electrocuted while repairing 13.2kv power line in North Carolina.

NIOSH

Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 85-25, 1985 Jun; :1-7

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/In-house/full8525.html

00136553

A case study of a contract worker electrocuted while repairing a 13.2 kiloVolt (kV) power line was examined. A power company official instructed the crew to replace a pole insulator and a 13.2kV power line, which had been downed by a fallen tree. When the power line and the insulator had been replaced, the victim, a 38 year old first class line worker with 20 years of experience, was instructed to open the last of three fused disconnects on pole 1, where the jumper splice was to be made. Two other fused disconnects on pole 1 were opened by a power company worker before the crew arrived at the accident. A power company worker was replacing fuses in two of the three fused disconnects on pole 2 while the victim was opening the fused disconnects on pole 1. The victim buzzed the line with pliers held in his gloved hands to test for the presence of high voltage in the power lines. The victim removed his gloves and began to splice the jumper wire after no arc or buzzing sound was apparent. When the victim grasped the load side of the jumper wire, an electrical circuit between the supply and load sides of the jumper caused the current to pass through his arms and chest. The victim was removed from the aerial bucket and was administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The victim was pronounced dead on arrival during transport to a local hospital. The authors recommend that employers should provide line workers with equipment and procedures to address all magnitudes of voltages to which they may be exposed and should emphasize proper procedures for working with multiphase distribution systems. Electrical lines should also not be repaired, moved, or accessed without adequate personal protective equipment unless personally deenergized and verified.

NIOSH-Author; Electrical-industry; Analytical-methods; Hazardous-materials; Accident-analysis; Industrial-environment; Occupational-hazards; Industrial-hazards; Safety-measures; Accident-prevention; Analytical-models; Region-4; FACE-85-25

19850626

Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation

1985

PB86-124567

A02

FACE-85-25

DSR

NAICS-22

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

NC; WV