Date of incident: February 2020
Notice of incident number: 2020188320003
Employer: Roofing firm

Incident summary
Two workers were using an aluminum ladder extended to roof level to gain access to the roof of a three‑storey townhouse building. The ladder made contact with a high‑voltage power line. Both workers received serious electrical burns.

Investigation conclusions

• Workers electrically shocked when limits of approach were violated. After installing a roof vent on the townhouse building, the workers were taking down the fully extended aluminum ladder when it made contact with a high‑voltage power line.

• Inadequate training. The employer had no formalized way to ensure all its workers were adequately trained for their assigned duties. The employer had not provided recent training to the workers on the topic of limits of approach for work near power lines.
• Inadequate supervision. The employer provided some supervision for its workers; however, it had not developed a formalized way to ensure that all the workers were adequately supervised when in the field. The employer placed supervisory responsibilities on lead hands.
• Failure to conduct hazard assessment. The employer failed to ensure that a hazard assessment was conducted for the scheduled work at the townhouse complex.
• Lack of health and safety program. The lack of a formal health and safety program hampered the development of robust work procedures that would have documented the occupational hazard of the power line in this case, so that the risk of power‑line contact could be eliminated or minimized.
• Lack of personal protective equipment. One of the workers was wearing boots with a thick rubber sole. He sustained less severe injuries than the other worker, who only had running shoes on his feet. If the second worker had been wearing thicker‑soled footwear, his injuries might not have been as serious.

Request the full report