Such a tragedy....I enjoyed watching these crews daily, with such talent... May they R.I.P... My prayers going out to their families and Co-workers.... CREZ LINE WORKERS PLUNGE TO THEIR DEATHS Men dangling from helicopter might have collided with transmission line Polly Ross Hughes August 5, 2013 Two men working on a transmission line that’s part of the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone project to delivery wind power from West Texas plummeted to their death this morning, the company constructing the line confirmed. “We did have two fatalities on a construction project today,” said Wayne Morton, general manager of Wind Energy Transmission Texas, LLC (WETT). The accident occurred around 9:30 a.m. Monday in Martin County, Morton told Texas Energy Report, adding that investigations are underway by the company, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The names of the two fallen workers have not been released, he added. Eyewitnesses reported that the accident occurred when the two workers dangling from a cable attached to a helicopter apparently collided with a CREZ transmission line, according to a CBS News report from the scene. Witnesses told reporters they think the cable holding the men snapped when the helicopter flew over the transmission line. “I don’t have enough information at this point to know conclusively what happened. They were being suspended from the helicopter,” Morton said, adding he is not sure of the exact reason the men fell. “The (transmission) line is not energized. It’s under construction. This is part of a construction activity.” Morton said it is not “uncommon practice” to move equipment and workers via helicopter and that WETT has never suffered such a serious accident with its contractors and subcontractors in the past. “The worst we’ve had up to now are busted noses,” he said. “We have not had any serious accidents. We work extremely hard and are very diligent in trying to keep our safety program at top notch.” He said WETT plans to continue emphasizing worker safety and hopes its investigation will help it prevent serious injuries or fatalities moving forward.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 11:07:29 +0000
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