Indirect exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts · Third or fourth degree electrical burns
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at AMEREN MISSOURI, 1901 Chouteau Avenue, SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI 63103
on — Third or fourth degree electrical burns, affecting the multiple body parts, n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee had just cleared damage to a utility pole that had been broken by a motor vehicle accident and was laying over the highway. As the employee was parking his vehicle, the vehicle s radio antenna contacted the low-hanging energized conductor, causing the vehicle to become energized. The employee stepped out of the vehicle and experienced an electric shock, resulting in second-and-third-degree burns to the head, left upper arm, left hand, left leg, and left foot. His little toe was medically amputated.
HospitalizedAmputationMultiple body parts, n.e.c.Highway vehicle, motorized, unspecified
An employee was cranking the handle of a material winch to raise a 6.5-foot lead cable from a manhole. At the apex, he released the crank handle and tried to retrieve the cable and pull it away from the opening. As the cable started to drop down into the manhole, the crank handle started freely spinning and struck his left forearm, breaking it.
A crew was working near an electrical pole. A co-worker was using a front-loader to grade a slope when the loader slid into a guy-wire and became tangled and stuck. The injured employee used a handheld grinder to cut the wire a few feet from the ground. The lower part of the wire fell to the ground, but the upper part of the wire fell toward the pole and contacted an energized part before the end landed in nearby bushes. The employee attempted to shake the bush to free the wire so it could fall back toward the pole. The wire popped up and contacted his hands, resulting in electrical entry burns to both hands and exit burns on both feet.
On November 18, 2023, two employees were using a 2x4 to lift a power line. The boom lift they were operating made contact with power lines and both employees sustained electrical shock injuries.
An employee was part of a crew that was servicing a power line. The employee was in a bucket truck when he contacted the 7,200-volt power line. The electricity entered through one hand and exited the other, causing several electrical burns. The employee was not wearing proper personal protective equipment at the time.
An employee was helping a crew set up a 45-foot pole between two other poles. It was being set up between two energized lines and the pole made contact with the A-phase. The employee was electrocuted and lost consciousness. The electricity also caused an entry wound in their left forearm and an exit wound in their left foot.
An employee was handling a 45-foot long rebar for installation on the third floor of a building at a 30-foot elevation. The rebar came into close proximity of a powerline situated 13 feet off the building. The employee sustained electrical burns to his hands from electric discharge, requiring hospitalization.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 221112)
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 readjusting a safety hook to remove hardware from gang forms when his feet slipped. He fell to the ground, resulting in a broken left arm and wrist.
An employee was on a step ladder in a store aisle, making room on shelving for merchandise. She fell from the step ladder to the floor, suffering two fractures in her left leg. She was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was closing the side cargo door to a company van. The tip of his finger got caught between the door and the door jamb, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee lost his footing while climbing an inclined ladder. He stumbled down one step and was able to stabilize himself by holding the railing and twisting his body, but he suffered an internal abdominal injury and was hospitalized.