Direct exposure to electricity greater than 220 volts · Electrical burns and electrocution
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Hamilton County Electric Cooperative, 518 US Hwy 281 South, HAMILTON, TEXAS 76531
on — Electrical burns and electrocution, affecting the Body systems and other part(s) of body.
Final narrative
An employee was inside an insulated bucket truck working on an energized power line. He was tying the neutral conductor onto the insulator when his upper back/neck made contact with an energized switch (7.2 kV). Electric current flowed from his upper back/neck to his left hand, resulting in a severe burn to his left arm and other burns to his upper torso.
Hospitalized Body systems and other part(s) of body Power lines, transformers, convertors
A crew was changing out a single-phase pole. The injured employee was framing the pole approximately 30 feet from the base. As they were loosening the armor rod clamp, the conductor broke and the wire fell to the ground, landing on the employee's right hand. The employee suffered electrical burns to their right hand and both knees.
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.
An employee was working from a bucket truck to remove a bolt from an attachment on an energized power line pole. The employee came into contact with the energized phase, resulting in an electrical shock of 7,200 volts. The employee was hospitalized. Protective gloves were not worn at the time of the incident.
On September 29, 2025, an employee was installing a fiber optic line at a residential site. His shoulder contacted the 7,600-kilowatt power line, resulting in an electrical shock. The employee was hospitalized.
Two employees exited their vehicle to assess a fully-downed power pole. The injured employee approached the downed pole to examine it more closely when their feet got caught underneath the energized phase and the ground of the pole, resulting in electrical burns to both feet.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 238210)
An employee was troubleshooting the control setup for a variable air volume box above a ceiling. The employee's hand came into contact with an exposed, energized 277-volt wire that had loosened from its terminal on the box's assembly. He was shocked and fell off a ladder. His left hand passed across the ceiling grid and was lacerated. He also suffered an electrical burn to the right hand and was hospitalized.
An employee was moving a scissor lift through a doorway. The employee was pinned between the scissor lift and the doorframe, sustained a back injury, and was hospitalized.
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The injured employee was performing routine maintenance on a fan belt/pulley. The injured employee and another person were moving the pulley back and forth manually to find a bearing issue. The injured employee's left ring finger got caught between the belt and the pulley wheel, resulting in a soft tissue amputation.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
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.
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