San Francisco Injury Lawyer Blog
A man washing windows at a Huntington Beach medical office building was electrocuted this morning when he accidentally touched over power lines with a metal pole, according to the LATimes. The man was using a brush on a long extension pole with a water hose attachment to clean the windows of a three-story building on the 17700 block of Beach Boulevard about 6:30am. He was trying to work around a tree when the pole came in contact with the power line. He was immediately electrocuted and died on the spot. Fire fighters found the man’s body on the sidewalk—his clothes were burned.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupation Injuries, electrocution is the fifth leading cause of occupational injury death in the United states, and a particular hazard to those whose work routinely brings them into close proximity to electrical sources. The highest proportions of fatal occupational electrocutions have occurred among those employed in the electrical trades and among utility workers and those employed in the construction and manufacturing industries. Contact with overhead power lines is reportedly by far the most frequent cause of fatal electrocution injury. A significant number of fatal electrocutions occurred during constructing, repairing, cleaning, and inspecting, or painting activities, the majority of which occurred at industrial places and premises.
Electrocution continues to be a significant cause of occupation death. All work sites should have proper warnings of hazards, safety equipment, and supervision, but, sadly, these necessities are often overlooked and workers are put at risk, leaving them vulnerable to serious and tragic accidents. When a work site fails to provide personnel with a hazard-free workplace and fails to meet the safety requirements enforced by OSHA, or any other safety regulatory committee with jurisdiction, serious injuries and deaths may occur. In such cases, the business owners, general contractors, subcontractors, and equipment or material suppliers may be held liable. After these types of accidents occur, the injured party should immediately contact an experienced Bay Area Work Site Accident Attorney. If you or a loved suffered an injury due to an accident at job site, please contact our office today. We have over 10 years experience fighting for the victims of job site accidents, and winning them the compensation they deserve.