Fallen/Injured Brothers

[never_forget_our_brothers]

02/11/2003 Pioneer Electric Cooperative-Non Union
On February 10, 2003, Employee #1 was dispatched to a downed power line with a fallen tree. Upon arrival, he started to clear the tree, which was totally across the two lane road, with a chain saw. He cleared a lane so he could get his vehicle to the pole with the circuit breaker on it. He did not place any warning signs out to warn oncoming traffic. A fully loaded logging truck came around a hill top curve and attempted to stop before getting to the fallen tree. While breaking, the trailer's back wheels caught the soft shoulder and continued to slide down an embankment, which caused the cab to turn sideways and flip over. Employee #1 tried to escape the oncoming truck; however, his direct escape path ended up being directly into the path of the sliding vehicle. Employee #1 was killed. It is not clear if he was killed by the truck cap as it rolled over or the logs as they became dislodged from the trailer. THREE INITIAL VIOLATIONS WORTH $6,400 AND ENDED UP WITH TWO VIOLATIONS WORTH $5,650.

---One Death (0/1)---

03/03/2003 Pacific Gas and Electric-Union
On February 18, 2003, Employee #1 was on a training called bucket truck rescue, being conducted by his employer. He was in a double-bucket truck which was used in the training when his attention was disrupted. As he turned to see the other employee on the other side of the boom, he stepped off from the catwalk. Employee #1 fell about 6 ft to the concrete and sustained lacerations to the head and a lumbar fracture. ONE VIOLATION WORTH $450.

---One Injury (1/1)---

06/12/2003 Nashville Electric Service-Union
A journeyman lineman employed by Nashville Electric Service was fatally electrocuted as he attempted to shut an energized (23,900kv) power line fuse switch without using his personal protective equipment (insulated gloves) nor did he test the line for energy. Apparently as he was positioning his body to shut the fuse he was holding on to the pole guide line with his right hand and as his left hand touched the fuse switch he was electrocuted.

---One Death (1/2)---

08/08/2003 North Houston Pole Line-Union
Two employees were replacing wooden power lines with metal ones when the wooden pole snapped hitting the both employees in the head and killing them. TWO VIOLATIONS WORTH $14,000

---Two Deaths (1/4)---

1 Injury and 4 Deaths under the 4911 sic under OSHA for 2003.