Electrician falls from pole, dies

Officials watched; workers were not wearing safety harness

A 36-year-old electricity department contract employee died and another person was injured after they fell off an electric pole in Motinagar on Friday.

The two were repairing electricity cables that were damaged during Friday’s storm. Police said they were not wearing any protective gear which is part of the standard operations procedure.

K. Vittal, 36, a resident of Gajularamaram, had been working as a labourer with a contractor of the Telangana State Power Distribution Corporation Limited for the past six years. On Friday, he along with a few other were engaged in restoring the damaged electrical lines in Motinagar. Vittal and one Naresh climbed the pole that had both high tension (HT) and low tension (LT) wires. “While they were restoring the cables atop the pole, Vittal suddenly slipped and fell to the ground. Naresh tried to steady him but he too fell,” said SR Nagar Police station sub-inspector B. Sudheer.

Vittal suffered injuries to his head and chest and was declared brought dead at a private hospital while Naresh, who suffered minor head injuries, is out of danger.

Vittal and Naresh had apparently been working at the pole for over two hours without any protective gear.

A 36-year-old electricity department contract employee K. Vittal died and another person Naresh was injured after they fell off an electric pole on which they were carrying out repairs, in Motinagar on Friday.

As per the SOP, an employee climbing an electric pole should get clearance from the ground staff that the power supply is switched off and he should be wearing a safety belt, helmet, hand gloves and an earthing cable during repair.

But, on Friday, neither was wearing any protective gear.

Officials said that he could have slipped and fallen but there was no electrocution. “We gave clearance after switching off the power supply. Vittal was employed by a private contractor to whom the job was assigned,” said an official who was supervising the restoration work.

He added that the deceased’s family would be paid `5 lakh as compensation from the electricity department.

Meanwhile, forensic experts said that Vittal had died of his head injuries and internal bleeding and that there was no electrocution.

Based on a complaint by Naresh, a case has been registered. Vittal is survived by his wife, who is also a daily wage earner, and two young children.