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A powerline

What happened?

A tracked sideboom was in the process of relocating three lengths of pipe on a rural road. Three overhead powerlines were in the path, two of which were identified as the task began. 

After successfully crossing the first line, the boom contacted a second line that was not identified and parted an energized 25kV powerline. No injuries occurred; this incident was considered to have a serious injury or fatality (SIF) potential due to the presence of electrical energy.

  • Due to conditions, the contractor’s supervisor moved the pipelayer from the right-of-way and designated travel path to the public roadway.
  • The change in route bypassed physical barriers intended to prevent overhead line contact.
  • The Field Level Hazard Assessment (FLHA) conducted prior to beginning work was not fully complete.
  • An updated FLHA was not completed when the work scope changed; the FLHA did not account for hazards of alternate routes.
  • It was not identified that the change in route resulted in physical controls intended to prevent overhead line contact being absent.
  • Two of three overhead lines were identified; however, the walkdown of the new route was not complete, resulting in one line being missed.
  • Cloudy conditions resulted in overhead lines blending with skyline.
  • The supervisor and sideboom operator were not adequately trained for their respective roles.

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