Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at NYSEG, 1195 Reynolds Road, JOHNSON CITY, NEW YORK 13790
on — Fractures , affecting the Trunk and other lower extremities.
Final narrative
An employee was climbing a pole during a training exercise. He climbed above a secondary line, reconnected his fall protection device, put his weight on it, and it held. The employee fell when he tried to put his weight to the device again. The employee suffered a broken right heel and a vertebra fracture in his lower back.
Hospitalized Trunk and other lower extremities Utility poles
An employee was assisting with an operation that was pulling in an underground wire. The employee was guiding a rope through a capstan when their gloved right hand was pulled into the capstan for approximately 1/3 of a rotation. The employee's right index fingertip was crushed and surgically amputated to the first joint.
Two employees were climbing a utility pole to replace a wire. The pole broke and the employees fell, landing on the ground and suffering leg abrasions and fractures to the face, a left femur, and vertebrae.
An employee was learning to climb a utility pole using a climbing strap and spikes. As he was descending, he lost balance and his weight shifted. His climbing spike became stuck in the pole, causing his knee to buckle. This resulted in a dislocated knee and fractured tibia.
An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
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.
An employee slipped while descending in a stairwell, fell, and suffered multiple contusions/bruises to the head, neck, shoulders, knees, and back. She was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 221122)
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.
An employee was operating a battery-powered broom to clean demolition debris off the top of the outermost bridge girder. The girder was approximately 11 feet above the demolition scaffold below. The employee fell approximately 8 feet to wind bracing below. The employee was hospitalized with a pelvis/tailbone fracture. Fall protection was in place at the time.
An employee slipped while descending in a stairwell, fell, and suffered multiple contusions/bruises to the head, neck, shoulders, knees, and back. She was hospitalized.
An employee was directing trucks as they entered and left a highway work zone. A vehicle struck them, resulting in multiple fractures and other injuries. The employee was hospitalized.