Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) is investigating an accident in which one of their employees was electrocuted and burned while working on electrical lines in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. A WMECO spokesperson reported that the Berkshire County man, who remains unidentified, is recovering at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston but would not provide further information on his condition.
The employee, who is in his mid-40s, was working late Friday morning on a pole behind an empty Patriot Suites Hotel on Dan Fox Drive in Pittsfield late on Friday morning when he was electrocuted by a live circuit. According to the Pittsfield Fire Department, the worker was knocked unconscious upon being shocked and was hanging from his safety belt before WMECO coworkers and the fire department were able to lower him to the ground with a bucket truck. An ambulance then took him to the Berkshire Medical Center before he was subsequently transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital.
As safety advice for the general public, the WMECO recommends never to touch any downed or sagging power lines. Because it is very difficult to tell the difference between a telephone line, cable television line, or electrical line, consider any line to be energized and dangerous.
If you have suffered an electrocution accident on the job or have been injured at work, contact one of our experienced Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyers for a free consultation.
Sources:
‘Fairly serious’ burns for utility worker, The Berkshire Eagle, April 17, 2011
Safety, Security and Lighting, Western Massachusetts Electric Co.
Contact the Massachusetts work injury lawyers at Altman & Altman if you have been injured on the job.