Worker injured after ladder fall and electrical shock at Cuyahoga Falls substation
Sept 2020Published 17 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Cuyahoga Falls substation at northeast corner of State Road and Sacket Avenue, Ohio
- Operator
- Cuyahoga Falls Electric System and American Municipal Power
- What
- Subcontractor fell 15 feet from ladder and received electric shock
- Injuries
- Worker injured by fall and shock, taken to hospital
- Cause
- Not reported
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): American Municipal Power, Cuyahoga Falls Electric System
What happened
A subcontractor performing annual maintenance and painting work at an electric substation in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, fell about 15 feet from a ladder and, according to the city fire department, grabbed an electrical service line and was shocked. The substation is at the northeast corner of State Road and Sacket Avenue and is operated by Cuyahoga Falls Electric System and American Municipal Power. The accident caused a power outage affecting businesses and residences along State Road and stretching more than a mile toward Front Street, including a supermarket and an elementary school.
The worker was talking with emergency personnel before being taken by city emergency medical services to a hospital in Akron; his condition afterwards was not reported. The outage lasted less than half an hour, with some customers restored within minutes and all customers back on supply by 11:45 a.m.
Contributing factors
The worker was on a ladder painting at the substation when he fell and, per the fire marshal's initial account, grabbed an electrical service line, causing an electric shock in addition to the fall. No formal investigation findings were reported.
Lessons learned
- Ladder work near live lines at substations requires strict fall protection, as a 15-foot fall led to contact with a service line.
- Painting tasks at energised substations need confirmed clearances, since the fall caused unintended contact with live conductors.
More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, design, standards and commissioning, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Worker condition after hospital transfer
- Formal investigation findings
- Duration of any further outage effects
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Other entries that name Falls
Published 2026-09-17. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
