Keith Phillips: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Mar 30, 2017 (fatal): Employee is electrocuted when bucket truck contacts power li

At approximately 10:45 a.m. on March 30, 2017, Employee #1 and coworkers were installing approximately 1,050 feet of cable lines spanning five pre-existing utility poles. The work required all vines and other natural growth to be removed so the lines could be properly lashed to the support cable. Employee #1 was in a bucket truck and pulled the new line into position, referred to as jigging it out. A coworker, foreman, assisted in the operation by climbing trees and cutting vines away from the support cable ahead of the bucket truck. They were working on clearing the sticks and vines at a height of the communication lines, ranging between 14.25 and 15.75 foot high. A grounded neutral conductor was sagging into the area of the communication lines at a height of 14.84. The high voltage power lines consisted of three phases. The A-phase line was located 25.67 foot above the ground, the B-phase line was located 25.67 foot above the ground, and the C-phase line was located 25 feet 8 inches above the ground. The phase-to-phase voltage was 13,200 volts and the phase to ground voltage was 7620 volts. The bucket truck, a Chevrolet work truck had an un-insulated lift with a maximum working platform level of 28 foot. The coworker climbed down out of the tree and was walking near the truck and never saw Employee #1 extend the boom to elevate the bucket higher than the communication lines. Employee #1 extended the boom and elevated the bucket too far above the communication lines to a point of making direct contact with the C-phase power line. According to coworkers there was a loud buzzing noise and there were possibly two flashes. The bucket was comprised of fiberglass but attached to it was a metal control box and the boom was un-insulated. The back of Employee #1's head contacted the C-Phase power line. The electricity traveled through Employee #1 and the boom of the truck to the ground. Employee #1 was electrocuted with burns to his upper body from fire. fire.