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Lineman electrocuted when he contacts a 7200-volt powerline while installing a guy wire in North Carolina, March 5, 1990.

Authors
NIOSH
Source
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 90-27, 1990 Jul; :1-6
Link
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/In-house/full9027.html
NIOSHTIC No.
00206137
Abstract
This report concerned the death of a 30 year old male journeyman lineman who was electrocuted while installing a guy wire. His employer was an electrical contractor that had been contracted to install a new single phase 7200 volt powerline by the local electrical cooperative. The lineman had previously insulated the existing powerline by placing a protective line hose over the line on each side of the utility pole. On the day of the accident, the victim was told to place more line hoses on the existing line, and attach a guy wire to an anchor on the new utility pole. The victim intended to further insulate the existing line after he installed the guy wire. He was not wearing linemen's gloves or sleeves. The victim pulled the guy wire into the aerial bucket and stood on it as he raised the bucket. When he reached the guy wire anchor, he began to loosen the anchor nut closest to the existing line. The victim's right arm contacted the line 3 inches beyond the insulated line hose, and the current passed through the guy wire to ground. His clothes caught fire, and the powerline burned in two. It is recommended that all energized components of an electrical system that might be contacted directly or indirectly by a worker be insulated before any work is performed; and that employers should ensure that established company safety procedures are followed at all times.
Keywords
NIOSH-Author; Region-4; FACE-90-27; Accident-analysis; Electrical-hazards; Occupational-accidents; Electric-power-transmission-lines
Publication Date
19900719
Document Type
Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
Fiscal Year
1990
NTIS Accession No.
PB92-184126
NTIS Price
A02
Identifying No.
FACE-90-27
NIOSH Division
DSR
SIC Code
NAICS-23
Source Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
State
NC; WV
Page last reviewed: May 5, 2020
Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Education and Information Division