Company & Owner Fined $48,000 for Overhead Power Line Contact

Two workers for a company hired to erect street lighting were placing a lamp post into an excavation when the post struck overhead power lines, causing the system ground neutral conductor to be burned and severed. No one was hurt. The MOL investigation found that the company didn’t have written procedures for the placement of the posts or provide adequate training on working with overhead power lines. The company and owner pleaded guilty to OHS violations. The court fined the company $40,000 and the owner $8,000 (both had prior convictions) [Network Site Services Inc. and Donald Medeiros, Govt. News Release, April 19, 2013].