Two Masons Electrocuted after Contact with an Overhead Power Line

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (KY FACE) ; University of Kentucky. College of Public Health. Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center
• Description:
  On April 3, 2013, a sunny and windy spring morning, around 10:15 am, two male masons, ages 51 and 76, each an owner of his own small business, were performing repair work on a chimney of an unoccupied house in a rural area. Both masons were in the bucket of an aerial lift, which was elevated to allow them to reach the chimney. They had finished work on the chimney and were in the process of swinging the bucket around to bring it back to the ground, when the bucket came in contact with overhead power lines running behind the house. The bucket hit a 7,200 volt line and the two masons were electrocuted immediately. They were not discovered until the local electric company was notified of a power outage and sent a crew to discern the cause of the outage. More than one hour elapsed between the time of the incident and arrival of the utility workers. The utility workers arrived at approximately 11:50 am and discovered the two masons still in the elevated bucket of the aerial lift, part of which was on fire, and immediately called the fire department. The two masons were declared dead at the scene. To prevent future occurrences of similar incidents, the following recommendations have been made: Recommendation No. 1: Employees should conduct a jobsite survey to identify potential hazards and develop and implement appropriate control measures for the hazards. Recommendation No. 2: Employees should follow existing OSHA regulations and safe work practices concerning the operation of equipment in close proximity to overhead power lines, and take steps necessary to de-energize or insulate power lines before work begins. Recommendation No.3: Employees should ensure that when working near a high voltage overhead power line where visibility could be obstructed or clearances difficult to determine, an observer is used to help the operator maintain the required clearance. Recommendation No 4: Employees should be trained in hazard recognition and the avoidance of unsafe conditions. Recommendation No. 5: Employers should ensure that workers who operate aerial lifts are properly trained in the safe use of the equipment.
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Electric Injuries Electricity Men Occupational Health Safety Safety Management Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-prevention Author Keywords: Aerial Lift Electric-power-transmission-lines Electrical-hazards Electrical-properties Electrical-safety Electrical-shock Electrocution Hazards Humans Injuries Injury-prevention Masons OSHA Region 4 Safety-education Safety-measures Safety-practices Training Traumatic-injuries Work-practices

  More +
• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Construction ; Electrocution ; Foreign Born Workers
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE13KY010
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Kentucky ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046506
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2015-105621
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 13KY010, 2015 Feb ; :1-6
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  University of Kentucky
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  23 - Construction - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2005/07/01
• End Date:
  2026/06/30
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c97490797f1fabfcbd44fc1b6b3fe461ee5aabe058d7effd18b76983f2333c9793be9a9a7716fae308b636dd15b909f98b497ba88fe6a02669feeb656cb2fceb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/165052/cdc_165052_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 197.63 KB ]