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 Company, Acquisition LLC, WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA 26003
on — Second degree electrical burns, affecting the hand(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
On April 30, 2018, at approximately 3:00 p.m., an employee was in a bucket truck tapping up a new service on a secondary 120/240 volt line when two hot wires made contact, causing an electrical flash. The employee received a second degree burn to his left hand, which was ungloved at the time.
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.
An employee was removing a gate from a fence at a substation in preparation for large equipment transfer. The employee sustained an avulsion injury to the right middle finger when it was pinched by the latch on the gate.
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.