Direct exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts · Third or fourth degree electrical burns
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Southwestern Electric Power Company, 1917 Highway 171, HORNBECK, LOUISIANA 71439
on — Third or fourth degree electrical burns, affecting the hand(s) and arm(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
While trying to reestablish a powerline connection, an employee came into contact with an energized line and suffered second- and third-degree burns to both arms and hands.
HospitalizedHand(s) and arm(s), unspecifiedPower lines, transformers, convertors
More severe injuries at Southwestern Electric Power Company
An employee was lifting a 330-pound transformer onto the bed of a vehicle. The transformer was set down on the employee's right hand, injuring the little finger.
An employee was operating a digger derrick to dig for utility line access. While he was troubleshooting the faulty boom of the truck, his hand was placed on the boom, crushing his left ring finger.
An employee was ascending a pole to make electrical repairs after a hurricane when his climbing gaff (the nail of the climbing hooks that go into the pole) struck a metal washer in the wooden pole, causing him to hit his jaw on the wooden pole. The back of his neck was then punctured by a wooden splinter on the pole. He hung about 25 feet in the air with his fall arrest system. He was hospitalized.
An employee was changing the rope on a winch line when his left thumb was caught between the anchor on the drum and the frame, amputating the thumb tip.
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 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 (a lineman) was working to restore power by installing a hand line when he contacted a high-voltage device (7,200 volts), resulting in electrical burns to his upper body and hands.
A chain sling failed while a utility pole was being removed. A chain link struck an employee who was operating a front-end loader, puncturing the employee's chest.
An employee was working with an underground crew to troubleshoot a BUD failure. The employee was removing a fuse from the fuse holder when the fuse blew on the riser and an arc flash occurred. The employee was hospitalized with burns to his face, nose, lips, and neck.
An employee was connecting two wires when his rubber insulated gloves failed and he suffered an electric shock to his right hand, resulting in an electrical burn.
A driver was exiting his vehicle outside the plant gate when his foot slipped on the top step of the truck. He fell to the ground, landed on his left hip and elbow. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured hip/femur.
A security employee was responding to an urgent call from staff regarding a violent patient. The employee tripped and fell on the floor outside of the stairwell. The employee sustained a closed head injury, contusion of the cerebrum without loss of consciousness, and a closed fracture of the distal end of the right radius.
A temporary employee was testing an electrical starter motor. He was placing tape on the starter while the breaker was not engaged, but the starter sent an arc flash that burned his hands and stomach.
An employee was walking on a sidewalk and stubbed his toe on an elevated portion of concrete, causing him to trip and fall. The employee's right knee was dislocated.