Massachusetts Public Utility Lineman Dies of Thermal Burns When Aerial Lift Hydraulic Hoses Ruptured and Ignited

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Massachusetts Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Project (Massachusetts FACE) ; Massachusetts. Department of Public Health. Occupational Health Surveillance Program
• Description:
  A 53 year-old electrical lineman died from burns suffered while repairing a damaged utility pole. The victim was in a cherry picker bucket of an articulating line truck (ALT) at the time of the incident. Hydraulic fluid, which flowed through hoses, raised and lowered the bucket. Company and OSHA officials speculated that a massive short-circuit burned through the hoses and ignited hydraulic fluid, engulfing the victim and the bucket in flames. The MA FACE Investigator concluded that to prevent similar occurrences in the future, employers and/or equipment, vehicle and hose manufacturers should: 1. Ensure that all power lines are de-energized, when practical, prior to working in their vicinity. 2. Continue research into the development of non-flammable, non-conductive hydraulic fluids. 3. Research the use of hydraulic hoses constructed of materials that will not fail when exposed to high voltage hazards. 4. Research the development of a lift system that shuts off the flow of hydraulic fluid in the event of a line rupture.
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Burns Electric Injuries Electricity Fires Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety Safety Management Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-prevention Electric-properties Electrical-burns Electrical-hazards Electrical-safety Fire-hazards Fire-safety Injuries Injury-prevention OSHA Region 1 Protective-measures Safety-education Safety-equipment Safety-measures Safety-monitoring Traumatic-injuries Work-analysis Work-areas Work-operations Work-performance Work-practices

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• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Electrocution ; Machine (All) ; Machine - General ; Prevention through Design (PtD)
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE92MA001
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20028370
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2012-109018
• 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 92MA001, 1993 Jul ; :1-4
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1993
• Performing Organization:
  Massachusetts Department of Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  22 - Utilities - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  1992/09/30
• End Date:
  2006/08/31
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4c4fecddb54d76dc48448d133dacef1595e908a4fd4022d78f3f2aa324a88b4ee812f9f4e9f68e731e9d313e409108a7c5960341a94651995244691b91ebeae9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/166748/cdc_166748_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 17.52 KB ]