Log Loader Contacts Power Line

BACKGROUND: A loader/slasher operator was loading tree-length hardwood from a stockpile to a tractor-trailer. The incident occurred on a spring evening prior to sundown.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The loader/slasher operator was 44 years old and had worked for the company for 15 years. The tractor-trailer operator was 32 years old and had been operating for three years. Both operators reportedly had training and were wearing all appropriate personal protective equipment at the time.

UNSAFE ACT OR CONDITIONS: The driver had parked so that the rear of the trailer was under a high-voltage transmission line. Neither the loader operator nor the truck driver was aware of the proximity of the power line while preparing to load the trailer.

ACCIDENT: As the loader operator was swinging the boom over the trailer stakes, one stem contacted a phase wire on the 69,000-volt transmission line, energizing the tractor-trailer, loader, and the slasher connected to the loader.

INJURIES: The loader operator received minor flash burns to his right hand, index and middle finger knuckles and left-hand index knuckle. The truck driver was uninjured. The loader operator was taken to the hospital on an outpatient basis and released. There was no lost time for either operator after the accident.

EQUIPMENT DAMAGE: Fourteen tires on the tractor-trailer were burned due to the electric shock.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTION: Always locate stockpiles in areas well away (at least two trailer lengths) from all power lines, regardless of voltage. Consider posting signs in the vicinity of all power lines directing truckers to load or unload outside the danger zone.

Courtesy of the Forest Resources Association: forestresources.org

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