Fatal power pole had hidden decay

An underground inspection of a wooden power pole that snapped, killing a Mid-Canterbury line mechanic, would have revealed it was decayed, a coroner has been told.

Tomasi Poate, 45, of Ashburton, was killed and his colleague, Allan Leis, suffered serious back injuries after a seven-metre fall from a pole on a private property at Hinds, near Ashburton, in January 2008.

Poate, a Fijian who had been working for Electricity Ashburton for eight months, died at the scene from head and chest injuries and Leis was flown to Christchurch Hospital.

An inquest in the Ashburton District Court yesterday heard the two Electricity Ashburton workers were replacing insulators when the pole snapped 150 millimetres below the ground.

Both men were harnessed, but Leis was able to unclip and jump clear. Poate was left suspended face down just above the ground and died despite resuscitation attempts.

In a statement, Leis said he performed pre-climb checks in accordance with standard industry practice, but did not test below the ground.

He followed Electrical Engineers Association (EEA) safety guidelines "religiously" and there was no "unusual movement" or signs the pole was unstable.

"When I climbed the pole, it did not move," Leis said.

"There was no noise, no cracking. It just hit the deck."

A Department of Labour-commissioned report said probing the pole below the ground may not have revealed the decay, but chipping with a spade or hatchet would have.

Department inspector Stuart Kennedy said the testing methods used were "inconsistent" with EEA guidelines.

A below-ground test was required for any change to the top load of a pole. "Because the pole was in relatively sound condition, an above-ground hammer test would have been ineffective," he said.

EEA spokesman Robert Taylor told the court he believed underground probing would have revealed the decay.

As with live wires, poles should be viewed as unsafe until proven otherwise, he said.

Coroner Richard McElrea said the industry took issues the accident had raised "very seriously". "Industry standards are being, and have been, adjusted since the death of Mr Poate," he said.

The coroner reserved his decision.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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