OSHA investigates Ohio construction worker electrocution

by Kurt Niland
A 26-year-old construction worker was electrocuted last week while working on a road project near Canton, Ohio. Kevin Meyer, a resident of Grove City, Ohio, was pulling old guardrail posts out of the ground when the accident occurred.
Reports say that the boom of a drill / driver truck owned by Lake Erie Construction Company of Norwalk, Ohio, came close to an overhead electric service line crossing the road, allowing electricity to arc from the line to the truck. Meyer was working next to the truck at the time and was electrocuted when he came into contact with the truck. The accident occurred about 2:45 p.m. Thursday.
Paramedics rushed Meyer to Aultman Hospital in Canton, where he died from his injuries about an hour later. He leaves behind his wife, parents, and brother and sister. The president of Erie Construction, Dave Bleile, told the Norwalk Reflector that “Kevin was an intelligent, hard working young man who took a great deal of pride in his work.”
Bleile said the company was “devastated by the tragic loss, especially those of us who were fortunate enough to work with Kevin in his five years here at Lake Erie Construction.”
While Lake Erie Construction Company is investigating the accident internally, investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will conduct their own investigation.
OSHA has been working to improve workplace safety on a national level, especially in the construction industry, which remains one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States.
According to the Business Insider, there is an average of 62 deaths per 100,000 of construction workers, construction laborers and helpers, and roofers. Nearly 450 construction workers died in 2007. Falling from dangerous heights is the most common cause of death industry-wide.