On October 15, 1982, a 28-year-old truck driver was pronounced
dead on arrival at the emergency room of a West Virginia hospital.
He
had delivered a load of fabricated metal parts to the construction
site of a 200,000-gallon water tank and was electrocuted while
helping
remove a ladder from his truck. Efforts to revive him by fellow
workers, and later by emergency rescue workers, were unsuccessful.
A post-mortem examination identified two entrance electrical
burns
(one on the right ring finger, the other on the left middle finger)
and one exit burn (on the sole of the right foot). No further
evidence of injury or disease was found. Results of a toxicologic
evaluation (including a blood-alcohol determination and a
urinalysis
for other drugs) were negative.
The Deputy Chief Medical Examiner of Northern West Virginia
invited the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) to provide technical assistance. Researchers visited the
site
and spoke with the owner of the construction firm, the job foreman,
and other workers, including the operator of the crane that had
removed the ladder; they also interviewed the worker's wife. The
following sequence of events had occurred: a five-man crew had
erected the tank to a height of 10 feet; the truck driver arrived
on
site (Figure 1) in late morning with a truckload of fabricated
metal
parts, including a 30-foot, steel-enclosed ladder; a 15-ton,
cab-mounted crane was used to lift and transport parts from the
delivery truck to the ground. While lifting the ladder from the
truck, the crane operator paused because the ladder would not clear
some welding generators located near the tank; in an effort to
help,
the truck driver left the truck and grasped the ladder with both
hands
to swing it over the generators; he was electrocuted when the crane
cable contacted a 7,200-volt overhead power line; the crane
operator
became aware of the electrical contact when he saw flames leaping
from
the cable; seconds later the truck driver was found unconscious 20
feet from the generators.
The researchers concluded that five circumstances were involved
in
producing this fatal injury: (1) the crew supervisor was not
present
at the time of the accident; (2) high-voltage power lines near the
worksite were neither insulated nor deenergized (insulation sleeves
were later added); (3) the crane and the material to be lifted were
located so close to the power lines that inadvertent contact with
the
lines was possible; (4) in lifting the ladder, the crane swung
toward,
rather than away from, the power lines; (5) the truck driver
manually
assisted the crane's movement of the metal ladder and apparently
did
not notice the close proximity of the crane to the power lines.
Reversing any one of these circumstances may have averted the
accident.
Reported by JL Frost, MD, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner for the
State
of West Virginia; Div of Safety Research, National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: In terms of the data in Table V (Years of
potential
life lost, page 21), the truck driver's death resulted in 37 years
of
potential life lost before age 65, illustrating how accidents are a
leading cause of lost years of potential life. Because accidents
often kill the young, they contribute disproportionately to loss of
potential years of life. Such accidents as this are frequent.
Data
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that at least 260
occupational electrocutions occurred in 1981 (1). Like the event
described here, many are readily preventable. Measures that would
have prevented this man's death are not difficult, elaborate, or
costly. Dangerous operations can be carried out safely if
thoughtful
planning and careful supervision are observed.
The findings reported here were part of the pilot study on
Fatal
Accident Circumstances and Epidemiology (FACE) being conducted by
NIOSH in collaboration with the medical examiners in West Virginia
and
adjacent states. This project is designed to determine whether
epidemiologic research can identify causative factors in fatal
accidents, the correction of which would facilitate prevention.
Persons who wish to receive similar technical assistance are
encouraged to contact the Director, Division of Safety Research,
NIOSH, Morgantown, West Virginia, (304) 291-4595.
Reference
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational
injuries and illnesses in the United States by industry, 1981.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, Bulletin
2164,
1982.
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