Two men received serious electrical burns yesterday while working too close to a power line in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The entire rescue and recovery was captured on video along with the live feed from the emergency services and the man directing the recovery operation.
The nine minute video below is a fascinating example of what happens in such incidents and is well worth a look.
As to the incident that triggered it, the two men were working from the almost fully elevated platform of a JLG 450AJ from the Action Rental fleet at a platform height of just over nine metres or so. They were clearly working far too close to the power lines behind them, it seems they either inadvertently touched the power lines, or more likely were close enough for the power to arc across to one of them as it ran to earth. Power was cut off to the area for some time and the traffic disrupted.
The younger of the two, aged 21 suffered from fairly extensive but not too serious burns while his older colleague escaped with all but a minor burn, if at all. Initial reports from the emergency services suggested that one of them was unconscious but by the time the rescue got underway the two were conscious and lucid, although in pain.
In terms of the rescue the video says it all.
The local authorities are investigating the incident, including whether the two had obtained the required approvals to work in the street and if basic safety protocols were followed. OSHA was notified and is expected to join the investigation.
It could be argued that these two not only disregarded all the safety advice about working near power lines but also were working on a pavement/sidewalk which is likely to be hiding a number of voids for gas, sewer and water services, but clearly not power. It does look as though some cordoning off was done and they were clear of the street which is positive. Hopefully they make a full recovery and do not experience any side effects.
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