At&T: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Feb 22, 2021: Employee incurs burns when contacts overhead power line, arm

At 1:00 p.m. on February 22, 2021, an employee was elevating himself in a bucket truck to repair some downed communication lines. The downed communication lines were tangled up in some trees. The employee came in contact with one of the two 12 kilovolt power lines that were directly over his head and only eight feet above the communication lines. The worker suffered multiple burns and electric shock to his body. He had burns to approximately 65 percent of his body, and they had to amputate one of his arms at the elbow. He was in and out of consciousness, and he didn't remember what happened.

Incident on Mar 1, 2018: Employee falls from a telephone pole and suffers contusions

At 9:30 a.m. on March 1, 2018, an employee had climbed up a telephone pole in the backyard of a residential home to remove an old telephone line. The employee cut the telephone line and dropped it onto a fence that separated two properties. The employee moved down the pole to recut the line and started to climb back up when he heard a clasp click before falling to the ground. The employee suffered contusions to his back and elbow. The employee was hospitalized.

Incident on Jun 15, 2017: Employee steps off from telephone pole and fractures ankle

At 2:30 p.m. on June 15, 2017, an employee was descending a telephone pole after completing repairs. With approximately two feet remaining before reaching the bottom of the telephone pole, the employee stepped down onto a 4-inch post or rock that was located between the pole and a small tree trunk and fractured his ankle. The employee was hospitalized and received treatment for his injury. for his injury.

Incident on Aug 12, 2016 (fatal): Employee falls from ladder and is killed

At 7:30 p.m. on August 12, 2016, an employee installing cable TV from a ladder on the fascia board of a single story residence. The employee fell 11 feet and was found unresponsive on the concrete. The employee was killed from a brain injury and their were no witnesses.

Incident on Jan 29, 2014: Employee falls from ladder and is injured

On January 29, 2014, Employee #1 and a coworker were working for an organization engaged in telecommunications construction of new cable, rearrangements of unde rground cable environments and cable splicing. The employees were at a residenti al location and in the backyard site. They were working near a utility pole and completing a telecommunication section and replacing a terminal. Employee #1 pla ced his ladder just north of a chain link fence, which separated two residences. The coworker placed his ladder south of the chain link fence. Employee #1 deplo yed the ladder hooks on the wire strand and secured the ladder to the strand. Th e coworker also deployed the ladder hooks and secured the ladder to the strand a nd pole. Employee #1 then placed his ladder between a dove bird coop, which was built by the homeowner, and the chain link fence. The dove bird coop was just to the north and straight down from the ladder. There was a 4 in. by 4 in. post ju st north of and towards the back of the ladder. The employees had been up and do wn their respective ladders at least twice. The job was finished and both employ ees had released the secured ladders and were climbing down. Employee #1's ladde r shifted towards the north as he was climbing down. He was approximately 4 ft u p on the ladder when it shifted. Employee #1 reacted and tried to avoid falling onto the dove bird coop. Employee #1 turned to the right and jumped to the right landing on his right side on the 4 in. by 4 in. post. The post had been cut onc e and repaired by the homeowner. The post gave way and Employee #1 struck the pi ece sticking out of the ground approximately 10 in. Emergency medical personnel were summoned. They arrived and transported Employee #1 to a hospital. Employee #1 was stabilized and then transferred to a regional medical center and subseque ntly admitted for treatment due to rib fractures, pulmonary contusion and pneumo thorax. He was hospitalized for approximately three days for treatment of these injuries.

Incident on Sep 18, 2013: Employee fractures pelvis, arm, ribs in fall from pole

On September 18, 2013, Employee #1, a new trainee with AT&T, was practicing clim bing a utility pole that had steps. Employee #1 stated he became anxious while a t the top of the climb. As he tried to come down, faster than he should have, he became faint, missed a step, and fell approximately twelve feet to a concrete s urface. Employee #1 was hospitalized, with multiple fractures to pelvis, arm and ribs.

Incident on May 16, 2013: Employee injured falling from ladder

At approximately 10:00 a.m. on May 16, 2013, an incident occurred where Employee #1 was seriously injured at his jobsite. Employee #1 was working in the backyar d and had on two separate issues. Employee #1 had completed the first case and h ad moved his extension ladder from the pole to get access to the second box. Usi ng the approved cable hooks Employee #1 positioned the ladder along the cable an d completed the second case. As he was coming down the ladder the cable and ladd er shifted, causing him to fall to the ground and wrought iron patio furniture b elow. Employee #1 was taken to a local area hospital where he stayed for several days due to multiple fractures from the accident.

Incident on Oct 3, 2012: Telephone worker falls 20-feet from ladder

At approximately 7:00 p.m. on October 3, 2012, Employee #1, a 53-year-old male D SL Technician with AT&T sustained multiple injuries as he fell from a 28-foot ex tension ladder. Employee #1 was trouble shooting a junction box at a height of a pproximately twenty-feet when he fell from the ladder, and struck the asphalt dr iveway below. It was possible that the extension ladder struck his head as it al so fell. Employee #1 was hospitalized for a concussion from this event.

Incident on May 7, 2012: Employee suffers injury to hand in ladder accident

On May 7, 2012, Employee #1 was extending an extension ladder to access some tel ephone wires on a utility pole. It was a 28 ft extension ladder with two section s. Employee #1 was holding this ladder, with his right hand, leaning towards the pole and was pulling down on the extension rope of the ladder with his left han d. After extending to the desired height, Employee #1 thought the hooks between the two sections were latched in, and let go the rope. Suddenly, the top section of the ladder came sliding down and his right thumb was caught in between the r ails of the two sections of the ladder. Employee #1 suffered partial amputation to his right thumb. Employee #1 was taken to a local hospital, where surgery was performed to reattach his thumb, and he was hospitalized for a little over a da y.

Incident on Jul 18, 2011: Employee's hand is burned by arc flash

On July 18, 2011, Employee #1 was turning on a switch to a cooling pump. An arc flash occurred and burned Employee #1's right hand.

Incident on Oct 30, 2010: Employee lacerates ring finger when caught on bracket

On October 30, 2010, Employee #1 climbed onto his work truck to retrieve some to ols. He stepped onto a truck-mounted foothold and grabbed a truck-mounted handho ld with his left hand. Employee #1 then grabbed the tools with his right hand. A s he stepped off the truck, the ring on his left ring finger caught on a bracket used to mount the handhold to the truck's cab. Employee #1 sustained a severe l aceration to the left ring finger and was taken to a local hospital. He was late r transferred to Pacific Medical Center for further surgical treatment.

Incident on Aug 24, 2010: Employee's hand is injured by forklift

At approximately 10:00 a.m. on August 24, 2010, Employee #1, an engineer, had be en working at an apartment complex for approximately one hour, performing engine ering duties, such as a sporadically assigned task of informing the property man agement of what was needed to raise the telephone line one foot to build the new apartment complex. Meanwhile, an unattended industrial truck was parked on a sl ope, and the wheels were not blocked. The parking brake was set, and the mast wa s in the "down" position. The forklift went out of control and caused Employee # 1 to sustain a cut tendon in his right hand. Employee #1 was transported to Coun ty USC, and he was hospitalized. The employer reported the accident to the Divis ion on August 31, 2010. Employee #1 had been working with or in close proximity to two coworkers, and both those coworkers were interviewed. The investigation c oncluded that there was no violation. As a result, the Division did not issue a citation.

Incident on Aug 18, 2010: Worker fractures leg in fall from ladder

On August 18, 2010, an employee was working outdoors repairing some telephone ca ble, when he fell off a ladder while descending it. The ladder was equipped with strand hooks and a foot wedge to compensate for a slight incline in the road. F or some reason, the ladder shifted, and the employee lost his balance and fell. He fractured his leg.

Incident on Jan 29, 2010: Employee is injured in fall through skylight

On January 29, 2010, Employee #1 was assigned to raise the telephone line on the pole to make clearance for trucks. Employee #1 was working off of a roof on a p ower pole next to the building. Employee #1 raised himself up and carried some t ools on the roof next to the power pole. As Employee #1 walked back to get the r est of his tools, he stepped through the building skylight and fell 15 feet to t he shop floor. The injury occurred at a customer's auto repair shop. Employee #1 was taken to Fresno Community Hospital for Treatment. The incident was reported to Cal OSHA on February 1, 2010.

Incident on Feb 17, 2010: Employee fractures leg falling from ladder

On February 17, 2010, Employee #1 hooked and attached his 28 ft extension ladder to overhead communication cables, ascended the ladder, conducted his work. As E mployee #1 began to descend the cable, tension slacked causing the ladder to sli de abruptly on the cable enough to cause Employee #1 to loose his balance. Rathe r than risk falling backwards, Employee #1 jumped off the ladder on to the aspha lt approximately 12 ft below, and suffered a broken right foot.

Incident on May 21, 2009: Employee falls off stairs due to back spasms

On May 21, 2009, Employee #1, while walking up a case of stairs, had a back spas m and fell. She tried to prevent any head trauma by blocking her head with her r ight forearm. She was taken to the hospital and examined by a physician. Employe e #1 was not hospitalized.

Incident on May 12, 2009: Five employees are observed after exposure to vapors

At approximately 3:32 p.m. on May 12, 2009, Employee #1 decided to clean out a s mall refrigerator at work, after several employees complained about its unpleasa nt smell. Employee #1 stated that she first wiped up some liquid with paper towe ls. She then sprayed the refrigerator with Formula 409 cleaner and used Clorox w ipes for those areas that she couldn't reach with the Formula 409 cleaner. Emplo yee #1 did not use Lysol. In an attempt to mask the unpleasant cleaner/refrigera tor smell, employees sprayed a variety of different products from perfume to Lys ol. Many employees then became quite concerned about the odors and called emerge ncy services. The building was evacuated. Five employees were taken to the hospi tal for evaluation and were then released.

Incident on Feb 25, 2009: Employee is injured in fall from telephone pole

At approximately 8:30 a.m. on February 25, 2009, an employee was climbing the po le for recertification, in a poles training pit. The wood pole was about six fee t from the ground and the pole snapped. The pole fell over and brought the emplo yee down with it. As he was falling, his shoulder hit the pit fence and his hand was crushed between the pole and the fence. The employee sustained fractured ri ght wrist and dislocated right clavicle. The employee was treated at the health clinic and was released the same day.

Incident on Apr 3, 2008: Employee fractres leg in fall from telephone pole

At approximately 10:30 AM on Thursday, April 3, 2008, a 31 year-old maintenance service technician working for a telecommunications company in El Centro suffere d serious injury when he fell from a telephone pole during a practice climb. The injured, Employee #1, was transported to El Centro Regional Hospital and later to UCSD Medical Center where he underwent surgery to install plates and pins in his fractured right tibia. The worksite where the accident occurred is a testing facility where employees are evaluated for their pole climbing skills. The empl oyees in the field may chose to either climb a pole using gaff shoes and positio ning belt, or free climb with the gaff shoes only, and belt in when they're in p osition at the top of the pole. The employer is required to annually evaluate th e employees who climb poles to make sure their technique is sound. The employee arrived at the testing site where there are two poles in a testing pit with a si mulated line strung between them at a height of about 19 feet. Employee #1 used his gaff shoes but not his positioning belt to climb the pole. He climbed up to the line and stopped to rest for a second before heading down. His supervisor wh o was watching and evaluating his climb had no cause for concern and felt that t he employee was climbing well. Asemployee #1 started down, he had made about thr ee steps when his right gaff came out of the pole ("gaffed out"). Employee #1 ha d thought that the gaff was secure, but when he felt it coming out he pushed awa y from the pole as he fell, landing on his feet between the edge of the pit and the concrete wall. He fell from a height of about 15 feet, and broke his right t ibia and suffered three fractures in his left foot.

Incident on May 10, 2007: Employee is struck and injured in manhole

On May 10, 2007, an employee and Coworkers #1 and #2 were using air pressure to transport a light-weight rope that was attached to a 5 to 6 inch metal carrier, mouse, from one end of a conduit to the other. The origin of this maneuver was M anhole Number 444 and the destination was Manhole Number 511. The employee was l ocated in Manhole Number 444 operating equipment manufactured and distributed by Condux International, Inc. Coworker #1 was outside and above Manhole Number 444 operating a truck-mounted air compressor and communicating with Coworker #2, wh o was to receive the mouse at Manhole Number 511. The truck-mounted compressor w as observed to generate air pressure of approximately 150 psi. However, after th e truck engine was warm and idled back, the constant pressure generated by the c ompressor was approximately 110 psi. The conduit between the two manholes had a second conduit, innerduct, within the original and the mouse traveled within the innerduct. The employee inserted the rope, mule tape, through the rope adapter and seal-off head and tied the mule tape to the mouse, which subsequently was in serted into the innerduct. He then inserted the seal-off head into the innerduct , hand-tightened it, and attached the hose coupling and closed the airflow valve . Finally, he attached the air hose, which was attached to the truck-mounted com pressor. The employee reported turning the airflow valve slowly but noticed the mule tape was not moving. Therefore, he closed the airflow valve, disassembled t he equipment to determine if the mule tape was stuck, but found no irregularitie s. After reassembling, the employee opened the airflow valve slowly and noticed the mule tape moving. Coworker #2 in Manhole Number 511 reported hearing air and seeing water coming out of the conduit at his end of approximately 30 seconds b efore it stopped. Meanwhile, in Manhole Number 444, the seal-off head popped out of the innerduct and the mouse shot out with sufficient force to hit the employ ee, tear through his clothing, through his skin, traveled across his body, and l odge in the right-front part of his abdomen. The employee climbed out of the man hole with the mule tape hanging out of his clothing. Coworkers #1 and #2 obtaine d emergency help. The employee was hospitalized and treated for puncture wounds.

Incident on Jan 8, 2007: Employee is injured in fall

On January 8, 2007, an employee and four other technicians were assigned the tas k of securing recently-installed fiber optic cable in cable raceways located ins ide of a switching station. The technicians' task was to secure the cable to a r aceway, which is elevated seven and one-half feet above the floor. The area thro ugh which the raceway runs is congested with equipment, other raceways, building structural elements and air conditioning equipment, so much so that it was not easily accessible by ladder. The employee and a coworker climbed into the equipm ent area using a portable ladder and made their way to the tray. In order to acc ess his portion of the tray, the employee climbed higher into the rafters, to ge t around some obstructing equipment. He was crouching on a raceway support 12 fe et above the ground, holding onto rafters, when his foot slipped. He lost his ba lance and fell onto an upright portion of the raceway support, impaling himself. Other coworkers came to his aid and called paramedics. The employee was hospita lized and treated for a puncture wound.

Incident on Feb 7, 2007: Employee is injured in fall from ladder

At noon on February 7, 2007, Employee #1, while working for a Telecommunication Company, was working on a telephone line to connect a telephone wire to a reside ntial home. The employee was using a 22 ft long extension ladder leaning on to a cable strand. After completing the connection and climbing down the ladder, the ladder slid to one side. Employee #1 lost his balance. The employee fell 16 ft on to a paved road, landing on his feet. Employee #1 suffered multiple fractures of his lower right leg and foot, which required surgery. The employee was hospi talized for four days.

Incident on Oct 23, 2006: Employee's leg is fractured in fall from utility pole

On October 23, 2006, Employee #1, a telecommunications lineman, was wearing a to ol belt and had on a climbing lanyard and safety hook. He was working from a tel ephone pole and fell approximately 20 ft and was hospitalized with a fractured l eg.

Incident on Nov 1, 1991: Employee's finger crushed against dolly by heavy load

At approximately 11:00 a.m. on November 1, 1991, Employee #1, at an AT&T undergr ound communications facility, was hoisting a module section of communication equ ipment onto a dolly using a one-ton capacity chain hoist. The lifting hook was h ooked into the center of the top of the equipment's metal frame. The frame gave way and was unable to hold the load. The frame at that point may have been defec tive or the load may have surged momentarily, resulting in shock loading at the point of attachment. The middle finger of Employee #1's left hand was crushed be tween the equipment and dolly.

Incident on Apr 3, 1991: Employees experience psychogenic illness

In a building where telemarketing, accounting, and other work involving video di splay terminals was performed, an employee fainted, then another, and later a th ird on a different floor. Workers in the building became hysterical and alleged the presence of carbon monoxide (CO). The Pleasanton Fire Department responded w ith 2 fire battalions, 6 ambulances, and 17 ambulance personnel. A total of 26 e mployees alleged CO poisoning and were sent to 4 different hospitals. All were r eleased within 4 hours. Air monitoring with direct readout instruments showed no CO, hydrocarbons, or hydrogen sulfide. Levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide were normal. The next day, the workers still alleged the presence of toxic chemicals in the building. Apparently, there were labor/management problems, widespread b oredom with the work, and a lack of trust in management. No employees worked wit h any chemicals not normally found in offices, such as carbonless paper.