GPL employee escapes death on power pole

Jun 07, 2008 News

At just about 17:30 hours yesterday, a Guyana Power and Light (GPL) employee came into contact with high voltage power lines while he was attempting to fix a problem on one of the lamp posts on Regent Street.

The man survived but many thought that he was dead as his limp body hung from the pole suspended by his safety harness for approximately 15 minutes before any aid was rendered to him.

The GPL worker, who was unidentified, had stepped onto a rotten bar, which broke and caused him to fall. He then slammed into the transformer, the impact causing a loud explosion. People reportedly saw his body twitching as the electricity coursed through him.

The GPL worker was left suspended above the street by the safety belt which he was wearing, until other GPL workers switched the power in the area off and brought a ladder and removed the immobilized man.

Vendors on the street corner reported that GPL vehicles had been in the vicinity all day long and people who work in the area say that they had been experiencing problems with the electricity throughout the day. They also noted that there are many lamp posts which also have many rotten bars on them.