California Department of Health Services
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SUMMARY : CASE
192-036-01
A tree
trimmer was pruning walnut trees in an orchard. He used a
lift bucket (a "cherry picker") attached to a mobile platform,
which he could raise, lower and move along the rows of trees
while standing in the bucket. At the edge of the orchard,
high voltage power lines crossed over the last row of trees
just above the tree tops. The power company was usually called
in to trim these trees.
However,
on this day the worker began pruning the last row of trees.
He raised his lift bucket to the top of one tree. His pruning
shears touched the power line and he was electrocuted. Although
co-workers pulled the lift bucket and platform away from the
power lines with a truck, the worker died instantly. His body
was badly burned.
How
could this death have been prevented?
- Hold
safety meetings before every shift, warning workers of dangers
in their area.
- Ask
the power company to shut off power to lines in the work
area, instead of expecting workers to avoid the lines.
- Work
as a team. Other tree trimmers in the orchard should be
on the look-out for danger.
- Mark
dangerous areas for employees to avoid, such as trees near
power lines.
- Use
tree trimmers who are specially trained to work near power
lines.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
document,
CDHS(COHP)-FI-92-005-12
,
was extracted from a series of the Nurses Using Rural Sentinal
Events (NURSE) project, conducted by the California Occupational
Health Program of the California Department of Health Services,
in conjunction with the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health. Publication date: August 1992.
The NURSE (Nurses Using Rural Sentinel Events) project is
conducted by the California Occupational Health Program
of the California Department of Health Services, in conjunction
with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health. The program's goal is to prevent occupational injuries
associated with agriculture. Injuries are reported by hospitals,
emergency medical services, clinics, medical examiners,
and coroners. Selected cases are followed up by conducting
interviews of injured workers, co-workers, employers, and
others involved in the incident. An on-site safety investigation
is also conducted. These investigations provide detailed
information on the worker, the work environment, and the
potential risk factors resulting in the injury. Each investigation
concludes with specific recommendations designed to prevent
injuries, for the use of employers, workers, and others
concerned about health and safety in agriculture.
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