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.
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