Thursday, June 25, 2015

1 worker killed after falling from boom truck retrofitting streetlights in San Jose, California









A man who fell from a boom truck and died, worked for a subcontractor assigned to work on San Jose's streetlights.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA (KGO)

A man who fell from a boom truck and died, worked for a subcontractor assigned to work on San Jose's streetlights.
The man fell around 9:40 a.m. Wednesday as he worked on a boom truck in the area of South Second and Martha streets, about two blocks east of Washington Elementary School, Officer Albert Morales said.

#UPDATE: Investigators still trying to determine what led to this incident. Road closed. #Opterra reps on scene. pic.twitter.com/nvLc4wJ8Zi
— Chris Nguyen ABC7 (@ChrisNguyenTV) June 24, 2015

#INFO: #Opterra is contracted by #SanJose to install LED lights as part of the city's streetlight conversion program. pic.twitter.com/FJWxoSTxzT
— Chris Nguyen ABC7 (@ChrisNguyenTV) June 24, 2015


Emergency crews pronounced the man dead at the scene a short time later, according to Morales.

"We talked to one witness. They saw what they thought was someone falling from the boom truck, but we don't have anyone that actually saw him fall," said San Jose Police Lt. Paul Spagnoli.

#DETAILS: #CalOSHA to take over investigation upon arrival. Coroner's office en route. #ABM boom truck. #SanJose pic.twitter.com/JpYplLnRxI
— Chris Nguyen ABC7 (@ChrisNguyenTV) June 24, 2015


Police say the victim may have been in his 40s.

The fall appears to have been an industrial accident and was referred to Cal/OSHA, or the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, said Morales.

Residents say they often see crews working in this area fixing power lines, clipping trees or working on the lights.

"I see them all the time putting their cones out, their hard hats, they wear their safety belts, they have the cones pretty much far away from the curb, and where the traffic is passing, so that nobody's in danger," said Kathleen Vigil, a nearby resident.

#MORE: Appears to be an industrial ax, per @SanJosePD. Man fell from boom truck, pronounced dead a short time later. pic.twitter.com/AqrB4Fiv9k
— Chris Nguyen ABC7 (@ChrisNguyenTV) June 24, 2015

#NOW: S. 2nd @ Martha in #SanJose currently closed to traffic. Multiple police units on scene. Details to come. pic.twitter.com/idIjYoJg7G
— Chris Nguyen ABC7 (@ChrisNguyenTV) June 24, 2015


The worker was employed by facility management company ABM Electrical & Lighting providing electrical and lighting services, according to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

ABM is a subcontractor of OpTerra Energy Services, a San Francisco-based company, which entered a contract with the city last year to retrofit some 18,000 streetlights with LED lighting, according to city spokesman David Vossbrink.

The bulk of the work was completed last month, with a couple hundred conversions left to be completed this summer, according to Vossbrink.

About one-third of the city's total streetlights have been assigned to OpTerra, Vossbrink said.

"We are deeply saddened by this morning's tragedy, and our prayers are with the deceased's family and coworkers," John Gajan, vice president of operations at OpTerra, said in a statement.

"We are coordinating with our subcontractor, ABM, and the City of San Jose to help determine the cause," Gajan said.


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Fatal fall in San Jose, California

June 25, 2015

A man died after falling from the bucket of an aerial lift in San Jose, California, yesterday while trimming trees back from around electricity lines.
The man was working from a lift owned by facilities management company ABM, local reports suggest that there had been a traffic incident beneath the raised platform, which resulted in a fight, but we do not know if it had anything to do with the fatality.

Emergency crews arrived by declared the man dead at the scene. California OSHA is investigating the incident.

The platform involved in the fatality