BACKGROUND: A crew of experienced Lake States loggers consisting of a father and his two sons were loading pine on a self-loading truck. The father was operating the loader and had finished filling the load. His sons were working to help secure the load for the trip to the mill. It was a November afternoon.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The family had logged together all their adult lives. All were considered experienced and fully trained.
UNSAFE ACT OR CONDITIONS: Located within the 20-acre pine stand was a power line with a well-defined right-of-way. As the harvest proceeded, the right-of-way became less defined, and the crew stacked a row of processed wood close to the electrical wires. The father moved the self-loading truck into position next to the wood pile and began loading.
ACCIDENT: The truck’s knuckleboom loader was helping one of the sons to position the load-securing chains across both the truck and pup trailers. The pup’s rearmost chain was set first. As the front chain was placed into position, the knuckle boom was almost in a vertical position, and it made contact with the high voltage conductor overhead. The power shot through the chain and immediately electrocuted the son, who continued to grasp the chain.
INJURY: The father and other son ran to assist the young man. He was badly burned and his heart had stopped beating. He did not respond to resuscitative measures and died on the site.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTION: Avoid working around areas adjoining power lines. Loggers should resist the temptation to use these clearings as centers of operation. When working around power lines consider the following safety measures:
- Call the Power Company to mark or insulate the lines (this is a job they most likely will do free of charge) and, if possible, to temporarily disconnect the lines.
- Make sure all crew members are aware of power line locations.
- Place flagging or warning barriers to permanently locate the right-of-way boundary.
- Consider leaving the trees that line the power line right-of-way and harvesting them as the job’s last operation, if it can be done safely.
- Place loading areas at least 100 feet from any power line. Never load underneath an existing power line.
Courtesy of the Forest Resources Association: https://www.forestresources.org/