September 2007

Aerial Cable Placing - Serious Incident

A Verizon employee was seriously injured while performing a pole placement and cable attachment operation alongside a road. The new pole had been set in place and the crew had begun attaching existing plant to the new pole. While in the process of using the derrick to raise the cable to the new pole, the cable broke free and the employee who was working in an aerial bucket was struck by the falling cable. As a result, the employee suffered a broken jaw and laceration on his chin requiring stitches.

The incident investigation revealed that a leather sling was being used to raise the cables to the appropriate height for attachment to the pole. One of the metal rings on the leather sling detached and allowed the cable being raised to fall.

Wrong Tool

Although the appropriate tool was available, the employees doing the work operation did not use it tool to raise the cable. The employees had no way of knowing whether or not the leather sling was rated to hold the weight it was being asked to raise. The correct tool that should have been used was the B Lifting Shackle

Correct Tool

· Always use the correct tool for the work operation.

· Always know the limitations of the tools or equipment you are using and never exceed those limitations.

· If the correct tool is not available, do not proceed and notify your supervisor for direction

· Never place yourself in a position where the failure of a tool or piece of equipment will cause you to be in the line of a falling object