Working on or near electrical lines is extremely dangerous. Therefore, equipment operation safety in the vicinity of high-voltage lines must be taken very seriously due to the fact that serious or fatal injuries are a very real possibility when it comes to working on or near electrical lines. Recently, a California worker was fatally injured on the job after the boom truck basket that he was in seemingly got too close to electrical lines.
The incident happened on an early January morning when a man was in the basket of a boom truck. The basket was roughly 25 feet off the ground when it is believed that the basket came into contact with electrical lines. Emergency crews received calls after it appeared the worker inside the basket had been injured.
Crews on the scene worked to lower the basket in a safe manner so as to reach the worker inside. Once it was lowered, it was determined that the worker had died from the incident. He was a 64-year-old California man. There is currently an ongoing investigation into the incident by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Although extensive training is usually provided and safety measures are generally taken by California companies that work with electricity, accidents of this kind can and do still occur. An investigation may determine fault or may reveal safety violations that can be addressed and corrected for the safety and well-being of other workers. If anyone is injured on the job or worse, as was the case with this worker, it is vital that the worker or family members understand the benefits to which they may be entitled under the workers’ compensation laws of California.
Source: northcoastjournal.com, “UPDATE: Worker Killed in Mill Accident“, Grant Scott-Goforth, Jan. 6, 2015