A high-voltage electrical contact accident occurred recently at a
District 8 surface mine. An over-the-road truck driver
inadvertently dumped coal onto his tarp while attempting to load
the truck. He then pulled his vehicle out of the loading facility
and looked for a place to dump the coal which was on his tarp. A
dozer operator working in the area told the truck driver to dump
the coal on the North pile. The truck driver chose a road that he
thought would take him to the North pile and backed down this
road and raised the bed of his trailer into energized overhead
13,200 volt power lines. The power line was thirty feet above the
roadway. The trailer bed can be raised to a height of 35 feet.
The raised bed contacted the power line at the curved portion of
the bed, or at a height of approximately 32 feet. The dozer
operator who witnessed this attempted to warn the truck driver to
remain in cab of truck until it could be verified that the power
was off. The truck driver did not heed the warning and exited the
truck. The relays of the high-voltage switch gear in the mine
substation operated properly, which de-energized the affected
overhead power line. This allowed the truck driver to exit the
truck safely . No injuries occurred and the truck was not
damaged.
BEST PRACTICES
- Study the work site each time you move equipment, especially
when operating equipment in areas used for storage, stockpiling,
and look for any areas of low power line clearance.
- If a truck contacts power lines, lower the bed to break
contact with power line, if possible.
- If any vehicle contacts a power line, stay in the
vehicle, until it can be verified that the power is
de-energized. Even when it appears that power is off, a utility
company power line circuit will normally close three times to
clear a fault. Electrocution could occur when exiting the
vehicle !
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This information was provided by concerned
miners in an effort to eliminate accidents. Accident or "close
call" information within District 8 may be shared by contacting
the MSHA office at (812) 882-7617.
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