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For information related to construction, see OSHA's Electric Power Generation, Distribution, and Transmission Industry - Construction page.

• A boomed vehicle, truck, or other vehicle comes into contact with electric power distribution or transmission lines,
• A ladder or scaffold comes into contact with electric power distribution or transmission lines,
• A backhoe or other digging device comes into contact with underground electric power distribution or transmission lines, or
• A worker makes bodily contact with electric power distribution or transmission lines.

• See the Electric Power Generation, Distribution, and Transmission Industry - Construction page.
  

• See the Electric Power Generation, Distribution, and Transmission Industry - Construction page.

• Tree Trimming/Removal Worker Electrocuted after Making Indirect Contact With a 8000 Volt Overhead Power Line. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Investigations of Fatal Electrical Incidents Report 92MN012. A tree trimming/removal worker was electrocuted when she made indirect contact with an 8,000-volt overhead power line.

• Truck Driver Electrocuted. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Investigations of Fatal Electrical Incidents Report. A 29-year-old truck driver/delivery man was electrocuted when the aluminum pole brush he was holding came in contact with a 14,000-volt overhead transmission line.

• Fatal Incident Summary Report: Electrocution of a Painter. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Investigations of Fatal Electrical Incidents Report 82-09. A 22-year-old painter working on an electrical transmission tower accidentally contacted a grounding line that had a static charge.
• Municipal Utility Worker Electrocuted When a Backhoe Strikes an Underground Electrical Transmission Line. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE), New Jersey FACE Investigation Report. A 28-year-old municipal utility worker was electrocuted when a backhoe struck a 4,100-volt underground electrical transmission line.
• One Firefighter Electrocuted and One Seriously Injured When An Aluminum Extension Ladder Contacts a 7,600 Volt Overhead Power Line. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE), New Jersey FACE Investigation Report. A 47-year-old firefighter was electrocuted and a second firefighter was seriously injured while positioning a 35-foot aluminum extension ladder at a fire scene. The ladder fell back and contacted a 7,600-volt overhead power line, electrocuting the victim and critically injuring a second firefighter.
• For more information about other occupations and other reports, see the NIOSH Safety and Health Topic: Electrical Safety.

Apparel

• Guidelines for the Enforcement of the Apparel Standard, 29 CFR 1910.269(l)(6). OSHA Standard Interpretation, (1995, August 10). When work is performed within reaching distance of exposed energized parts of equipment, the employee should remove all exposed conductive articles, such as key or watch chains, rings, or wrist watches or bands. Clothing made from acetate, nylon, polyester, or rayon, either alone or in blends, is prohibited unless the employer can demonstrate that the fabric has been treated to withstand the conditions that may be encountered.

Fall Protection

• OSHA's requirements for locking type snaphooks on pole strap systems. OSHA Standard Interpretation, (1996, March 13). Provides an interpretation of fall protection requirements under 29 CFR 1910.269. The fall protection requirements under paragraph 29 CFR 1910.269(g) do not apply to rural electric cooperatives connecting electrical service to a consumer's home to install electric line attachments. However, the fall protection requirements under paragraph 29 CFR 1910.23(c)(1) do apply to such a workplace application.

Minimum Approach Distance

• Clarification of 1910.269 as applied to line-clearance tree-trimming operations. OSHA Standard Interpretation, (1999, April 26). Provides a clarification of line-clearance tree-trimming work. The employees must be either (1) trained as qualified employees, or (2) must be "undergoing on-the-job training," have "demonstrated an ability to perform duties safely at [their] level of training," and be "under the direct supervision of a qualified [employee]."
• Permit space entry. OSHA Standard Interpretation, (1994, August 8). Provides a response to a question about what confined space entry requirements apply to subcontractors who perform work (not involving power generation, transmission, or distribution) in utility company manholes and vaults.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Report

• Worker Deaths by Electrocution: A Summary of Surveillance Findings and Investigative Case Reports. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 98-131, (1998, May). Also available as a 137 KB PDF, 51 pages. Reports the industries with the highest percentage of electrocutions were construction (40%), transportation, communication, and public utilities (16%), and agriculture, forestry, and fishing (11%).