Direct exposure to electricity greater than 220 volts · Electrical burns any degree
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Black Hills Electric Cooperative, 28729 Old Highway 79, HOT SPRINGS, SOUTH DAKOTA 57747
on — Electrical burns any degree , affecting the Hand(s), finger(s) unspecified.
Final narrative
A lineman was working from a bucket truck, connecting a new tap onto an existing 72,000-volt line. Their hands came into contact with electricity, and they were burned.
Hospitalized Hand(s), finger(s) unspecified 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 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 moving a tensile strength test device with a dolly. The device fell from the dolly onto the employee's right leg, causing a compound fracture.
An employee was walking past a crossover conveyor when a ramp came down and hit them in the back. The employee sustained a broken back vertebra, as well as a concussion, and was hospitalized.
An employee was using a hook tool to pull a pallet onto the lift gate of a tractor trailer. The hook detached from the underside of the pallet, causing the employee to fall backward off the lift gate. The employee landed on the concrete parking lot about 5 feet below, suffering fractures to the skull and two thoracic vertebrae.
An employee was walking on a truss table when he lost his balance and fell approximately 3 feet to the floor. The employee sustained a dislocated and fractured left ankle.