Fatal Accident Circumstances and Epidemiology (FACE) Report: Laborer Electrocuted as Boom of Bucket Truck Contacts a 7200-Volt Power Line, January 11, 1989

摘要

On January 11, 1989, a 31 year old laborer was electrocuted while contacting an aerial bucket truck when the boom of the truck contacted a 7200 volt power line. The victim was one of 30 workers employed by a power line right of way clearance company. The victim and a truck driver were clearing a section of right of way for a single phase 7200 volt power line in a wooded rural area. The victim positioned the truck for the driver who was then trimming branches. When the driver had finished trimming that area, the victim repositioned the truck. When the driver saw the victim begin to drop the outriggers, he raised himself in the bucket to a position above the 7200 volt power line. The driver assumed that the victim had returned to his usual position on the ground. As he repositioned the bucket he heard the victim groan and call out his name. The driver noticed that the lower side of the uninsulated boom had contacted the power line and that the victim was lying on the ground beside the truck. A rescue squad was summoned, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death was electrocution. The victim apparently had been in contact with the truck and the ground when the boom came in contact with the power line. Recommendations included insulating booms used in the vicinity of power lines, developing a safety program designed to recognized and control hazards, and certifying employees who work near electrical energy in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.