Conductor Safety Failure Response: How we Contained a Highway Wire Drop Incident for AEP
Conductor Safety Failure Response: How we Contained a Highway Wire Drop Incident for AEP

Customer

AEP

Location

West Virginia

Highlights

  • Catastrophic Incident Avoided Serious Injury
  • Root Cause Traced to Grip Certification Failure
  • Now a Model for RHS Protocol Reform

Safety Response to a Tooling Oversight in West Virginia

The Challenge

During a conductor installation involving 556 wire, a contractor crew experienced a catastrophic failure: while working on the top wire, the bottom conductor broke loose and fell across four lanes of traffic and a highway on-ramp. A pickup truck was struck, and a semi-truck became entangled as the wire wrapped around its tires. Upon inspection, the failure was traced to the use of an improper wire grip-a tool that, while new, was not rated for use with bare conductor. The grips had been supplied by the contractor without proper verification.

The Solution

 Immediate containment and post-incident review included:
  • Lowering the wire and grip safely to the ground.
  • Inspecting and documenting the grip ID number and cross-referencing it with the manufacturer's specifications.
  • Confirming that the installed grip was not approved for bare wire applications.
  • Initiating a review of all grips in use on the project.
  • Establishing guidance that all conductors spanning traffic corridors require a secondary safety system, regardless of perceived load or grip condition.
  • Communicating findings with all involved stakeholders to prevent recurrence.

Key Benefits

  • Root Cause Identification: Pinpointed specific tooling mismatch as the core failure point.
  • Process Improvements: Reinforced the need for pre-use verification of all contractor-supplied tools and materials.
  • Policy Update Potential: Catalyzed updates to safety protocols for conductor work over live roadways.
  • Safety Leadership: Demonstrated how field personnel and oversight teams can prevent recurrence of high-risk failures through vigilance and immediate action.
  • Risk Communication: Delivered a clear learning opportunity for internal and external stakeholders about the criticality of secondary safeties and grip/tool certification.

The Results

  • No serious injuries, despite the dangerous failure.
  • Wire removed and site secured without additional incidents.
  • Contractors were directed to review all grips and resubmit tooling for verification.
  • Secondary safeties are now recommended as standard protocol for all conductors spanning vehicle corridors.
Case now used in toolbox talks and safety stand-downs across projects as a lesson in tooling QA and line protection discipline.

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