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 ALTITUDE ENERGY LLC, Near HWY 151, IGNACIO, COLORADO 81137
on — Third or fourth degree electrical burns, affecting the multiple upper extremities locations, n.e.c..
Final narrative
An electrical powerline crew was pulling in a neutral wire when it became bound up on a pole, causing the pole to pull over slightly before the pull was stopped. One of the employees went up in a bucket to try to free the neutral wire. While he was holding the wire with one hand, his shoulder contacted the bottom of an energized cutout directly above where he was working. He suffered a 7,400-volt shock that caused third-degree burns to the fingers on his left hand and his shoulder and was hospitalized.
The injured employee was retrieving materials from a work truck. A semi-truck with a tarp covering a load of corn passed by and the tarp on the truck came loose. As the employee was climbing into the work truck, the loose tarp caught the employee and threw him approximately 30 to 40 feet, resulting in broken bones and a punctured lung.
An employee was stringing a new conductor with an existing conductor when their right elbow contacted an energized phase (7,200 volts) and their left elbow contacted the bottom of the arrestor. The employee suffered electrical burns.
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 operating a dump truck when the trailer door swung and pinched the employee's right middle fingertip underneath the nailbed, resulting in an amputation.
An employee was attaching a turnbuckle to an auger. The turnbuckle slipped and the employee's left thumb was pinched between the turnbuckle and the auger resulting in a partial amputation of left thumb.
An employee was delivering materials. He was doing his pre-delivery inspection on the roof of the jobsite (a warehouse) when he fell through a plexiglass skylight. He landed on his feet on the concrete floor 14 feet below. The employee sustained fractures to his spine, left ulnar/radius, and right heel. The employee required surgery.
An employee was removing packaging from a roll of printing substrate. The blade of their utility knife got stuck. The employee used both hands to free the knife and the blade partially amputated their left little fingertip.
A concrete batch plant operator was assisting with clearing spoil piles using a skid steer. The skid steer backed into a stationary screen plant. The employee's left little finger was crushed between the controls of the skid steer and the screen plant, resulting in a fracture and laceration. The employee's finger was surgically amputated.
An employee was standing on an extension ladder, using a torquing tool to remove bolts that secured blades to a rotor. When the torquing tool activated, its reaction arm came around and pinched the employee's right middle finger against a lifting eye. His fingertip was amputated.