A tragedy that occurred at a Connecticut golf course serves as a sobering reminder about the importance of workplace safety.
According to published reports, a contractor working at Yale Golf Course was electrocuted Aug. 21 after he touched a downed power line at the golf course in New Haven. The line came down when a tree had fallen at the golf course during a recent storm. The worker, whose identity has not been released, was an employee of Eastern Land Management, a commercial landscape management company in Stamford, Connecticut.
It is unclear how the worker came into contact with the power line. Neither the Yale University Police nor the Hartford office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration returned phone calls.
"Yale offers its deepest condolences and sympathy to the family of the deceased," the university said in a news release.
United Illuminating, the electric utility serving the area, said they were cooperating with the investigation and offered a few tips for safe practices when working around power lines:
- Assume all downed power lines are live.
- Call 911 when encountering a downed power line.
- Beware of a downed power line touching a vehicle. Stay clear of the vehicle and the power line.
- If a power line touches your vehicle while you are inside, stay inside the vehicle until emergency assistance arrives.
- While planning a project, contractors and customers should check the work area for any potential hazards, including overhead power lines.
Yale Golf Course has been closed since 2023 while undergoing a Gil Hanse renovation and is expected to reopen next year.