Author -

Date:

16 Jun 2002

Time:

03:01:48

Comments

I came across your site tonight in search of safety issues. Out of numerous sites I have visited this is a first. I am thankful. I work on a crew in central Texas as a contractor, journeyman, and lead lineman. We have all ways had safety meetings, but recently we have developed safety councils as well. Anyone with any info on how our council should or could utilize it's time effectively please e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  I would like to share our most recent accidents with you, to give something back, that would hopefully benefit yourselves. Accident #1.Lead lineman in an Altec was hanging a 10kva transformer from the lip of his bucket, not using any extra tie offs only one hand to hold the pot, and the other operating the bucket. Groundmen were working below the pole. Foreman was busy doing something else, not paying attention. The transformer slipped off the lip of the bucket, falling on back of one of the groundmen. Both foreman and lineman were fired. This was second accident that the lead lineman had been a part of in a two year history. Come to find out the foreman was called in last year, and threatened that he will lose his job if he didn't pick up production. Well this year alone he has already tripled his profits compared to all of last years, due to most likely cutting corners ,or not to safety specs. Accident#2 whole crew in east Texas was putting auger on bucket operator on digger, two buckets in mid air with a lineman in each bucket foreman on location, ground hand on ground putting auger on. NO LAYERS OF PROTECTION WERE UTILIZED. Line was not on one shot no cover up, no truck grounds, no spotter watching aerial view of the digger as it moved around. digger got into a phase, killed ground hand on the ground. Come on guys it's all common sense. Now we are getting more safety rules added, that we don't need to cover up someone's stupidity. When will it ever quit? If management would have been out there enough to know they weren't doing these things right, and aggressively taking action, then maybe he would be alive today, and there would only be a little fine money involved, or a day off loss wages. Here, the buddy system has definitely taken over .everyone wants to be nice, so jo-dead doesn't quit, because he was caught in a safety violation, and fined. IT IS THE BIGGEST JOKE IN THE WORLD. WHEN MANAGEMENT ENFORCES THESE ISSUES HARDER AND STRONGER, THAN JUST TELLING THEM TO CORRECT IT, THEN THE OTHER GUYS WILL TAKE THEM SERIOUS, OR HIT THE ROAD. Well hope some of this helps someone. Later all. Be SAFE.

Date:

16 Jun 2002

Time:

12:19:32

Comments

to the post on the 16th from texas WHO IN THE HELL WOULD HANG A TX FROM THE LIP OF A BUCKET !!!!! DAMN THEY MAKE TRUCKS SET UP TO HANG TXS THEY ARE CALLED MATRIAL HANDLERS OR DIGGER TRUCK MUST HAVE BEEN A DEAD SIMPSON CREW COME ON MEN LETS ALL WORK SAFE AND TAKE ALL ARE MEN BACK TO THE SHOWUP AT NIGHT