Power Substation Worker Falls 12 Feet to His Death After Contacting a 26,000 Volt Power Line

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  New Jersey Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation Project (NJ FACE) ; New Jersey. Department of Health and Senior Services. Occupational Health Service
• Description:
  On February 15, 1991, a 53-year-old electrical substation mechanic suffered a fatal fall after making contact with an energized 26,000-volt power line. The incident occurred when the victim climbed a ladder and attempted to free a jammed switching device. Thinking that the lines were de-energized, the worker was shocked after touching a live electrical conductor, causing him to fall 12 feet to the ground. NJDOH FACE investigators concluded that, in order to prevent similar incidents in the future, the following safety guidelines should be followed: 1. All electrical lines and conductors should be tested to ensure that they are de-energized prior to working on or near them. 2. Adequate clearance must be maintained between the worker and energized lines to prevent inadvertent contact. If this is not possible, physical guards (barriers) should be placed between the worker and the hazard. 3. Employers should ensure that established company safety procedures are followed at all times.
• Content Notes:
  Formerly NJ9101
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Electric Injuries Electricity Occupational Health Safety Safety Management
• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-potential Accident-prevention Electric-properties Electrical-conductivity Electrical-hazards Electrical-safety Electrical-systems Electrocutions Injuries Injury-prevention OSHA Region 2 Safety-education Safety-equipment Safety-measures Safety-practices Traumatic-injuries

  More +
• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Electrocution ; Falls
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE91NJ003
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  4 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20026514
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2013-101687
• Citation:
  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 91NJ003, 1991 Jul ; :1-4
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1991
• Performing Organization:
  New Jersey Department of Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  22 - Utilities - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  1991/09/30
• End Date:
  2005/08/31
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4709ffd422475f469e15174478a2b990ae596aa1242f44137d29e24ddbbccbde5612d67b16ee0670376f0ffb355cf71b968b5fbd9fbfd66e22b8bbe5e622a7c0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/170128/cdc_170128_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 49.10 KB ]