EPB lineman injured in fall from bucket truck

[CPOPE]

Monday, May 4, 2009 ,

An EPB worker who fell about 15 feet from a bucket truck today suffrered serious head injuries, officials said.

It happened about 10 a.m. on Vincent Road near Harrison Bay, said Hamilton County Sheriff spokeswoman Janice Atkinson.

David Murray, 37, fell about 15 to 20 feet from a bucket truck while attempting to replace a damaged power pole, said Harold DePriest, EPB president. Mr. Murray suffered some head trauma and was in surgery about 4 p.m. today.

Mr. Murray, who had about six years on the job as a lineman, was talking after the incident, but his injuries were serious, Mr. DePriest said.

After dealing with the employee’s injuries, the power company will launch an investigation into whether proper safety protocol was followed, Mr. DePriest said

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2009/.../?breakingnews

[BigClive]

After dealing with the employee’s injuries, the power company will launch an investigation into whether proper safety protocol was followed, Mr. DePriest said

Translation:-

After the usual formalities we'll be making sure the company is not held accountable for this incident.

This will probably be one of those scenarios where the employee was wearing a harness but forgot to clip it on. It's so easy to do when you are in and out of the bucket all day. The only difference is that if an office worker makes a similar type of mistake at their desk they can rub it out with an eraser.

[old lineman]

Different areas havbe different rules about responsibility.
I our neck of the woods the first person they look at is the immediate supervisor.
If as Clive says he forgot it would be an isolated case and believeable, but.
If they interview everyone and find that this is a common occurence then they nail the supervisor because it's his/her duty to ensure everyone follows the rules.
Once the supervisor is found neglecting his/her duties then they head up hill to management.
It's totally posible to fine the company for not ensuring that their supervisors are performing their duties.
Sometimes it seems unfair but we don't have the company heads sying it is worker error and they are let off the hook.
About 8 miles from where we live a supervisor was fined $15,000.00 and spent 30 days in the crow bar motel for the death of a summer student.
He wasn't even on the job at the time but it was an established habit he permitted his charge's to do.
That'll get your attention as the word spreads.
The Old Lineman

[Divemaster]

As my user name implies, I'm a Divemaster and as such I am a guardian angel over my scuba students, no different than I am with my guys when they are working on the line. My guys know the drill: Do as I say or I'll have your a**. I always tell them to learn from others mistakes because I want them to meet their great grand children. If this accident happened because of the supervisor - Doom On Him he wasn't worth his weight as a leader, he is what is known as a 'Stupidvisor' and sue his butt. If this accident was the result of a worker breaking the rules and didn't get caught until he got hurt- oops, guess ya should of known better and I'll bet you'll never try that again. If this accident was the result of a PPE or other equipment that failed then sue the manufacturers butt and make sure the equipment gets fixed. The only problem with the whole scenario is this, everyone will get sued, everyone will pay whether they are responsible or not, and all will be forgotten within a year, and nobody will remember anything but the guy who got hurt and the grunt that was with him.