A lineman in Bristol, Tennessee died shortly after getting hit with approximately 7,200 volts on the job. The worker, identified as Timothy James Parks, was electrocuted while handling a primary line, according to a Sheriff’s Office report.

Parks, 30, worked for Suncoast Communications Services, Inc., a subcontractor for Ocala Electric Utility. According to Roger Pardo, a groundman for Suncoast whose responsibility is to assist linemen, Parks was not wearing his hot gloves while working on the pole. Hot gloves are what electricians and linemen use to protect themselves from power lines. The report also states that Parks was reminded many times about the rule on the same day he was electrocuted.

Towards the end of their shift, Pardo said, he noticed Parks tying off a “mule tape” to the fiber optic line. When Parks raised his right hand, in an attempt to tighten or take up slack from what he was doing, Pardo saw a blue electric arc appear from a live wire and hit Parks’s right hand. Parks held his chest making his co-workers lower the bucket he was in. They then began to perform CPR on him. They found later that his hot gloves were in the bucket with him.

Shortly after that, Parks was taken to the Munroe Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the matter.

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