Officials ID Ark. worker electrocuted at arsenal

PINE BLUFF, Ark. (AP) - The man electrocuted at the Pine Bluff Arsenal was a 28-year-old contractor from Mayflower, officials said Wednesday.

Ryan Bullard was working for subcontractor Snyder Environmental when he was killed Tuesday, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Laurie Driver said.

Initial reports indicate Bullard was working from a lift 15 feet above the ground and attempting to cut a pipe hanger. The 20-foot steam pipe slid, Driver said, causing one end to rise and contact an overhead power line. Bullard was transported to Jefferson Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, Driver said.

Joe Carter, the chief executive officer of Snyder Environmental, and arsenal spokesperson Cheryl Avery said Bullard's death appears to be accidental.

"The Snyder Environmental family is mourning the loss of one of our team members in a tragic accident Tuesday afternoon," Carter said in a press release. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family during this difficult time."

Carter said Snyder Environmental was working with the arsenal to investigate the death. The Corps and the Pine Bluff Arsenal have each formed investigation boards to determine contributing factors to Bullard's death, Driver said.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation into Snyder Environmental because of the death as is standard protocol for work-related fatalities, spokesman Juan Rodriguez said.

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