Direct exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts · Second degree electrical burns
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at American Electric Power, Mitchell Plant, MOUNDSVILLE, WEST VIRGINIA 26041
on — Second degree electrical burns, affecting the hand(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
On February 17, 2015, at approximately 5:30pm, an arc flash occurred while an employee rolled in a 4kv breaker to the Coal Yard Area. The employee received small first and second degree burns to his right and left hands.
An employee was walking back to a powerline to inspect the location of an upcoming job when they slipped on ice and fell to the ground, resulting in fractured ribs that required hospitalization.
An employee was trying to unfasten a power utility pole secured to a ride-on digger derrick. In order to loosen the ratchet strap that secured the easement machine, he placed his right hand on the ratchet mechanism and his left hand on the metal pole rack. While he was pushing away from his body with his right hand to loosen the strap, the pole came free from the strap, shifted, and caught the employee's left hand against the pole rack. The employee's index finger was amputated from the nailbed to the tip.
An employee was smoothing a metal plate using a bench grinder when the end of their thumb was caught between the material and the grinding wheel. The employee sustained a partial amputation (approximately 25 percent) of their left thumb.
An employee was climbing to fix a transformer that was placed on a trailer when he slipped. His foot got wedged and his left leg was fractured above the knee and required surgery.
An employee was installing a ground wire to a power transmission pole. The ground wire contacted an energized portion of a cut-out, causing an arc-flash. The employee was hospitalized with second degree burns to their chest and arms.
An employee was connecting a utility transformer for underground service to a home. The employee's impact drill went across two connection bars with 240 volts of potential, creating an arc flash. The employee sustained burns to the face and eyes due to the arc flash and molten aluminum.
On December 15, 2023, at 9:15 AM, an employee was changing 60-amp fuses in a 480-volt panel when an arc flash occurred. The employee was hospitalized with burns to both hands.
Employees were pulling three-phase power lines to a power pole. An employee's hand was caught between a pulley and a rope, resulting in amputation of the employee's index, middle, and ring fingertips.
An employee was cutting through two secondary wires with a battery-powered cutting tool. The wires were energized at 120/240 volts; when the employee cut through the insulation around a wire, an arc flash burned the employee's left thumb.
An employee had been preparing material for a lineman at a jobsite and was pulling up wire on a hand line. The employee began to feel ill, suffering from heat illness.
An employee was tamping at the base of a power pole when they were struck by an extendable hot arm that was dropped from an aerial bucket. The employee sustained two broken ribs on the right side, and a pneumothorax on the right side.
An employee was conducting routine maintenance on a mixer. New lid pins had been installed, and the employee was rotating by hand to ensure they had been installed correctly. The employee's left middle finger was caught between the lid and top of a pin. The momentum from the mixer continued, causing a crushing injury to the finger. The employee underwent a medical amputation from the top knuckle to the tip of the finger.
An employee was climbing down a 15-foot multipurpose ladder. The employee fell about 8 feet, landing on the concrete floor and the ladder itself. The employee suffered several injuries, all on the right side: broken ribs, a broken sternum, a broken temporal bone, broken shoulder, multiple fractures to the cheekbone, and a brain bleed.
An employee was rolling up the landing gear on his trailer when the handle began to unwind and struck his face, fracturing his jaw. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.