Date of incident: June 2021
Notice of incident number: 2021181350012
Employer: Electric Utility

Incident summary
Three workers were replacing a utility pole (power pole) with a new pole. One worker was in an aerial lift bucket, transferring the primary tap line from the existing pole to the new pole. (A tap line is a lateral line branching off from the primary line.) An electric arc flash occurred, and the worker sustained serious injuries.

Investigation conclusions

Cause

• Worker was within limit of approach. The injured worker (a power line technician) was working outside the limit of approach (LOA) prior to the incident when drilling the holes for the cutout and the dead-end insulator. He was involved in the re-energization of the primary line, and it is assumed that he knew the primary line was energized. The worker entered the LOA when he was transferring the primary tap line from an existing power pole to the new pole using the jack strap, and an electric arc flash occurred, causing serious injuries. The investigation was unable to determine why the worker was within the LOA.
• Lack of hazard control for inadvertent contact with energized power line. Although the LOA for a qualified power line technician was 0.75 m (2½ ft.) and the work was to be done outside the LOA, the LOA was inadvertently not adhered to. No back-up control was in place to protect the worker from contacting the energized primary line.

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