Accident

[Bull Dog]

Today a hooper company employee was burned and transported to the hospital. Thats all I know right now. Happened in Madison Wisconsin this am I think. All I know right now If more comes out it will be posted.

[Bull Dog]

The lineman is a 28yr old in critical but stable condition. He was burned with 13.8v and was on fire when lowered buy his fellow workers. They dumped water and used fire extinguisher. I don' t know the cause and doubt it will be released to the public anytime soon.

[Ghostrider]

We are being told that it was a 28 year old apprentice. The rumor mill is not saying good things about how this happened. Does any one know the truth.



THU., JUN 26, 2008 - 9:38 PM

Construction worker shocked, power knocked out on West Side

PATRICIA SIMMS and MELANIE CONKLIN
Wisconsin State Journal

A construction worker took 13,800 volts to his chest and caught fire while working on power lines Thursday morning near Glenway Golf Course on Madison's West Side.

The man, whose name and condition were not released Thursday, was talking to rescuers after the fire was extinguished, witnesses said. He was taken to the UW Hospital burn center, Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Bernadette Galvez said.

The accident occurred about 11:40 a.m. as the Hooper Construction subcontractor was working in a construction bucket on overhead lines near the intersection of Glenway Street and Glen Drive, Madison Gas & Electric spokesman Steve Kraus said.

"There was a flash of fire, but I have no idea what caused that or why that happened," said Jerry Diebling, vice president of the electrical power division of Hooper Corporation. "It's not by any means a common occurence. Electricity gets pretty complicated. Numerous things could actually have caused it."

Kevin Shelly and Tim Weitzel were among the first on the scene after hearing a popping sound followed by a golfer on the Glenway Golf Course yelling that someone needed help.

The pair of golf course maintenance workers drove their cart toward the shouts and discovered the golfer was a paramedic from a Colorado fire department.

The three crossed the street and arrived at the spot just off the Southwest Bike Path as the injured worker was being lowered in his bucket and saw his clothing catch fire.

"Tim grabbed some water he had on the cart, and I used my shirt as soon as they got him to the ground and cut off his harness, and we tried to get him still and put out the flames," said Shelly, whose arms were still blackened with ash.

Construction workers also used water and an extinguisher, Weitzel and Shelly said, and even bikers on the path were tossing water from their drinking bottles and neighbors were hauling water, trying to help douse the flames. Others were calling 911 on cell phones.

"It was so fortunate the golfer happened to be a fireman and paramedic," said Weitzel. "We asked him what he wanted to do. Everyone was trying to help out."

A transformer was also reported to have exploded, Galvez said. The incident knocked out power to about 2,000 Madison West Side homes for about an hour.

Diebling said he believed the accident involved a flash of fire rather than contact with electrical current. One unidentified Hooper employee described it as an "arc fire."

An arc injury is caused when an object such as a metal tool makes contact with a power line. An electrical contact injury occurs when a person actually comes in contact with the line.

The nearby bike path and the woods surrounding the power lines were cordoned off, and police were rerouting cyclists early Thursday afternoon.

Hooper, one of MGE's contractors, had a four-man crew working at the intersection — two on the ground, one each in the buckets. Only one was injured.

Diebling said the worker is from Wisconsin but not from the Madison area.

[scammy]

hope he does alright ,,our prayers are with him

[Stick-it]

Who cares that people lost power. May God be with him and his family.

[WONTSTAYSILENT]

Brother Brent Mell was involved. 7th step apprentice.

No exit wound was found, so assumed to be all flash burns. 3rd degree burns on face, stomach and side. 1st and 2nd degree on face, shoulder, and elsewhere. All grafting is complete and he is doing fairly well all things considered, may even be released soon.

At time of incident, he was in the bucket between 2 phases of the the 13.8 reaching up to attach a jumper. Line was rubbered up, switches on pole were not. Don't know how the arc started, but it engulfed him, slumped in the bucket and he got hung up on either a switch or the crossarm. Another APPRENTICE:mad: in the other bucket had to maneuver all the way around the pole to reach him, cut him loose and the J/L on the ground:mad: brought him down with the lower controls.

When they got him on the ground, apparently his FR shirt was on fire. :confused: Put him out and first responders were there within minutes. Transported to University of Wisconsin Hospital burn center and received excellent care.

This is about the extent of what I know, other than there were 2 Apes working in the energized primary zone. VERY clear violation of the contract, which requires a J/L in the air for all energized work above 600V. This was done with knowledge of and condonement of the J/L and the Foreman on the crew. Apes are also at fault, but why the f**k are the J/L's allowing this?

And the newspaper is only half right about the four man crew. Yes, it was a 4-man crew of 2 Apes, a J/L and a Foreman, but the Foreman wasn't even there, as he had gotten called away for a random piss test.

When does it stop? And why are we doing it to ourselves? Does anyone even care anymore about following the simplest, most basic safety rules, contractual language, and common sense?

:mad:

[Bull Dog]

Thanks for the update. Glad hes coming along ok and has good care.

[WONTSTAYSILENT]

Brother Mell was released from the hospital about a week ago and is recovering nicely. All grafting is complete. Still has a long way to go, but doing well under the circumstances, thank God.

OSHA investigation has still not been completed. :(

Nobody's been disciplined yet by Hooper or the hall.

[rat1369]

their is a reason they are called apprentices. alot of JL I see dont want to be bothered with their jobs or teaching apes correctly. Im a foreman currently and as a rule I will jump in with the apprentice just to watch. If I have to leave the job all but single phase primary work is stopped. And if I happen to return and the JL is on the ground with the ape in the primary the JL is looking for another job. these apes no matter how much we abuse them are the ones who will turn our lights on when we cant anymore.