Direct exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts · Electrical burns, unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at New River Electrical Corporation, 3887 Marsha Drive, COLUMBUS, OHIO 43207
on — Electrical burns, unspecified, affecting the upper and lower limb(s).
Final narrative
An employee was installing a termination on an underground electrical distribution cable when the cable became energized and the employee made contact. The employee suffered electrical burns to the hand and knee, requiring hospitalization.
HospitalizedUpper and lower limb(s)Power lines, transformers, convertors
More severe injuries at New River Electrical Corporation
On April 23, 2024, at approximately 4:45 p.m., an employee was working from a ladder, lost balance, and fell backward about 3 feet to the ground. The employee was hospitalized for fractures of their T7 and T8 vertebrae.
An employee was standing next to a truck and trailer while poles were being loaded onto the trailer. The equipment struck an overhead powerline and electricity traveled through the equipment and through the employee, resulting in burns to his right thigh and both feet.
A line crew was digging post holes with a vehicle-mounted auger. The crew had finished digging a hole and was attempting to stow the auger back onto the vehicle. They had just stowed the Kelley bar when a restraining strap broke. The Kelley bar then sprung loose and hit an employee in the chest. The employee was hospitalized with a spleen injury and seven broken ribs.
An employee was working in an electrical substation when a cable snapped and struck the employee on the shoulder and the side of the head. The employee suffered bruising.
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.
An employee was performing troubleshooting and maintenance on one of the generators that feed the RF line for glue-laminated timber (glulam) beam production. He was reattaching the outer panel of the generator. A circuit was completed and the employee was electrocuted by the generator and sustained burns. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was utilizing a utility task vehicle (UTV) to patrol a 138 kV transmission line in a right-of-way. The UTV drove into a washout hole that was approximately 6 feet deep and obstructed by vegetation. The employee sustained a dislocated shoulder, a fractured left humerus, back pain, and a strained ankle. He was hospitalized.
A crew of employees were working to replace a utility pole that was broken by a motor vehicle accident. As the crew was removing equipment from the broken pole, part of the pole broke, fell on the injured employee, and rolled over him. The employee sustained two broken shoulders, multiple broken ribs, and a damaged lung that required hospitalization and surgery.
An Ameren lineman was making secondary voltage connections in a pad-mounted residential feed transformer. The lineman contacted an energized lead bushing, sustained an electrical shock, and was hospitalized.
An employee was working to deliver mail to an apartment building. She was waiting for a customer to move, to obtain clearance to the mailboxes. The door swung inward and closed on her right little finger. The top half of her finger was surgically amputated.
An employee fell from a step ladder while reaching for a tie-off point. He impacted the ground, and landed on his bolt bag which contained tools. The employee was hospitalized with fractured ribs, and a lacerated spleen and kidney.
On October 30, 2025, an employee was working to adjust a stackable metal shipping container. As the container dropped into place, it caught the employee's hands in an area between the upper and lower cross-members. The employee suffered a laceration to the left ring finger that required stitches, bruising to the right ring finger, and fractures to the right middle finger that necessitated medical amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was moving a scissor lift through a doorway. The employee was pinned between the scissor lift and the doorframe, sustained a back injury, and was hospitalized.
An employee was setting up communication equipment for a meeting. They were walking and tripped over a speaker on the ground. The employee sustained a leg injury.