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| Internet Cable Installer Dies After Contacting 12,000-volt Power Line |
A 37-year-old Internet cable installer died last Wednesday when he came in contact with a 12,000-volt power line that was hidden in a tree. According to the New York Daily News, Douglas La Lima was in a cherry picker when he brushed against the power lines and caught fire. His co-workers quickly lowered the bucket and firefighters extinguished the flames, but La Lima died a short time later.
Unfortunately, thousands of injuries and fatalities occur every year because of contact with overhead power lines. That’s why it’s important that all workers who work near overhead power lines be trained in safe procedures and methods that will help them recognize the hazard and know how to avoid coming near or in contact with these lines.
Here are some safe procedures to share with your workers:
- Identify the location, height and voltage of all overhead power lines on your jobsite.
- Determine what activities will be taking place around the wires and where the dangers might be.
- Maintain a minimum distance of 10 feet (3.5 meters) from all power lines. Do not erect scaffolding or operate machinery close to power lines.
- Never use a stick or tape measure to determine distances to power lines. Estimate your distance instead. When in doubt, add more space.
- If safe clearances cannot be maintained, contact the utility company to have the lines de-energized, guarded or temporarily re-routed.
- Be particularly careful when operating heavy equipment around power lines. If a tree contacts a line and that tree also contacts machinery, the operator risks electrocution. Cement pumpers and cranes may also touch lines, putting the operator at risk. Prevent contact. Know the precise height of your load.
- If you come across a fallen or sagging wire, assume it is live and do not go near it. Contact the utility company immediately.
- Know what to do and what not to do if equipment or a person touches a line. Don’t rush in to save someone who may still be in contact with a high voltage electrical current, or you could become a victim yourself. The power source must be disconnected first. Call the utility company and emergency personnel. Warn others away from the area and isolate the hazard if possible.
Overhead power lines are a danger off the job as well. If workers doing roof or yard work at home should follow the same precautions they would on the job.
Electrocution is a leading cause of occupational deaths, so it’s always timely to talk to your workers about electrical safety. Safety Smart has dozens of Safety Talks, articles, eLearning courses and other tools that you can use to educate your workers on how to protect themselves from electrical hazards.
Need access to additional resources on this topic? Try SafetySmart today and get immediate access to safety talks, presentations and more. Sign up for a free 14-day trial now. |
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| Someone has found a dangerous new use for a ladder by tying it on to support beams as a makeshift working platform. If this support system failed the worker would face a long fall to a painful injury…or oblivion. (Bill Bunner photo) |
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| An Inside Look at the Canadian Standards Association |
The OHS laws spell out the minimum requirements employers must meet, which aren’t necessarily the best or most effective ways to approach a hazard or protect workers. That’s where voluntary standards, such as those from the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), come in. CSA standards typically go beyond the OHS minimum requirements and are more akin to “best practices,” explains Elizabeth Rankin, a project manager with the CSA.
Read more on OHS Insider.com.
(Note: subscription is required; to get instant access , simply sign up for a No-Obligation Trial of OHSInsider.com. Sign up now and you will be entered into a drawing to win an iPad!)
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| OSHA Issues Workplace Violence Compliance Directive |
A directive on Enforcement Procedures for Investigating or Inspecting Incidents of Workplace Violence has been issued by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), to help OSHA field staff better respond to such incidents.
The directive establishes uniform procedures for responding to incidents and complaints of workplace violence and conducting inspections in industries considered particularly vulnerable to workplace violence. These include healthcare and social service settings and late-night establishments.
OSHA says workplace violence is a serious recognized occupational hazard ranking among the top four causes of death in workplaces during the past 15 years. More than 3,000 people died across the US as a result of workplace homicide between 2006 and 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A recent OSHA inspection of a psychiatric hospital in Maine found more than 90 instances of staff being assaulted on the job by patients between 2008 and 2010. The hospital was cited for not providing its workers with adequate safeguards against workplace violence and issued a proposed fine of more than $6,000.
“These incidents and others like them can be avoided or decreased if employers take appropriate precautions to protect their workers,” says OSHA Administrator Dr. David Michaels. “We have accompanied this directive with a new web page on Preventing Workplace Violence to help employers address workplace violence issues.” |
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Related story: Suspended female worker shoots co-workers dead
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| Due Diligence: Defining, Establishing & Demonstrating Your Record of Compliance |
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