Transcript No Slide Title

FATAL FACT
A laborer engaged in
the removal of an
existing stairway fell
through the stairway
floor opening. He fell
approximately 32 feet.
1
FATAL FACT
A carpenter apprentice was killed when he was struck in the head by a nail that was fired
from a powder actuated tool. The tool operator, while attempting to anchor a plywood form
in preparation for pouring a concrete wall, fired the gun causing the nail to pass through the
hollow wall. The nail travelled some twenty-seven feet before striking the victim. The tool
operator had never received training in the proper use of the tool, and none of the employees
in the area were wearing personal protective equipment.
2
FATAL FACT
A laborer was killed when a
gasoline storage tank he was
cutting with a portable power saw
exploded. The worker's company
was involved in installing,
removing and junking gasoline
pumps and underground tanks.
Although he had experienced
working with the saw and scrap
materials, the worker did not
adequately purge the tank and test
for vapors before beginning to cut.
The 18 x 6 foot, 3000 gallon tank
had been used recently for
underground storage at a service
station. At the time of the
explosion, the mechanic was
cutting on the tank with a gasoline
powered portable saw equipped
with an abrasive epoxy disk for
cutting metal. The explosion
propelled the worker 10 to 15 feet
from the tank into another tank.
3
FATAL FACT
A crew of ironworkers and a crane
operator were unloading a 20-ton
steel slab from a low-boy trailer
using a 50-ton crawler crane with
90-foot lattice boom. The operator
was inexperienced on this crane and
did not know the length of the
boom. Further, no one had
determined the load radius. During
lifting, the load moved forward and
to the right, placing a twisting force
on the boom. The boom twisted
under the load, swinging down,
under and to the right. Two
employees standing 30 feet away
apparently saw the boom begin to
swing and ran. The boom struck one
of the employees - an ironworker on the head, causing instant death.
Wire rope struck the other -- a
management trainee -- causing
internal injuries. He died two hours
later at a local hospital.
4
FATAL FACT
A laborer was steam cleaning
a scraper. The bowl apron
had been left in the raised
position. The hydraulically
controlled apron had not
been blocked to prevent it
from accidently falling. The
apron did fall unexpectedly
and the employee was caught
between the apron and the
cutting edge of the scraper
bowl. The apron weighted
approximately 2500 pounds.
5
FATAL FACT
A painter foreman
climbed over a bridge
railing to inspect work
being done, slipped,
and fell 150 feet to his
death.
6
FATAL FACT
Ball and socket connectors are
used to attach conductor
stringing blocks to insulators on
the arms of 90 foot metal towers
of electrical transmission lines.
Normally stainless steel cotter
keys secure the ball and socket
connector in place. In this case,
however, black electrical tape
was wrapped around the socket
to keep the ball in place rather
than a cotter key. The tape
apparently stretched and the ball
came loose, dropping the
stringing block approximately 90
feet onto the head of an
employee below, one of a fourman erection crew.
7
FATAL FACT
Two employees were
installing storm drain
pipes in a trench,
approximately 20-30 feet
long, 12-13 feet deep and
5-6 feet wide. The side
walls consisted of
unstable soil undermined
by sand and water. There
was 3-5 feet of water in the
north end of the trench
and 5-6 inches of water in
the south end. At the time
of the accident, a backhoe
was being used to clear
the trench. The west wall
of the trench collapsed,
and one employee was
crushed and killed.
8
FATAL FACT
Two laborers were working on
a motorized two-point
suspension scaffold 70 feet
above ground level without
safety belts, lanyards, or
lifelines. Three wire rope clips
forming an "eye'" for
connecting the wire rope to
the C. hook failed and that end
of the scaffold came down.
One employee fell to the
ground, and the second
employee at the other end was
catapulted through an open
window where he was pulled
to safety by office workers.
Two of the rope clips were still
attached to the end of the rope
after the accident. The inside
tread of the third clip, which
fell, was found to be stripped.
9
FATAL FACT
Two employees were making final
adjustments to a large machine in a new
paper mill facility. They were using two
hydraulic jacks and two 4" × 4" uprights
under one end of the 6,000 l b. piece of
equipment which was suspended by
four ¾ threaded rods. First, the
employees would jack up one end of the
piece about an inch. Then, one
employee would climb a set of
temporary steps to hand tighten the
nuts on the threaded rods. Thus, the
6,000 lb. piece was supported solely by
the two vertical timbers on the heads of
the hydraulic jacks. The timbers were
set under a 5/8" side rail without any
block or other devices between them.
No cribbing, blocking, shoring or other
stabilizing methods were used to secure
the load after it was raised. When the
end of the piece was jacked up, it fell,
crushing one employee and narrowly
missing the other.
10
FATAL FACT
Four employees were boring a
hole and pushing a 20-inch pipe
casing under a road. The
employees were in an excavation
approximately 9 feet wide, 32 feet
long and 7 feet deep. Steel plates
8' × 15' × ¾", being used as
shoring, were placed vertically
against the north and south walls
of the excavation at
approximately a 30 degree angle.
There were no horizontal braces
between the steel plates. The
steel plate on the south wall
tipped over, pinning an employee
(who was killed ) between the
steel plate and the pipe casing.
At the time the plate tipped over,
a backhoe was being operated
adjacent to the excavation.
11
FATAL FACT
Two employees were painting the
exterior of a three-story building
when one of the two outriggers
on their two-point suspension
scaffold failed. One painter
safely climbed back onto the roof
while the other fell approximately
35 feet to his death. The
outriggers were inadequately
counterweighted with three 5gailon buckets containing sand
and were not secured to a
structurally sound portion of the
building. Neither painter was
wearing an approved safety belt
and lanyard attached to an
independent lifeline.
12
FATAL FACT
A truck driver was crushed and killed
between the frame and dump box of a
dump truck. Apparently a safety
"overtravel" cable attached between the
truck frame and the dump box
malfunctioned by catching on a
protruding nut of an air brake cylinder.
This prevented the dump box from
being fully raised, halting its progress at
a point where about 20 inches of space
remained between it and the truck
frame. The employee, apparently
assuming that releasing the cable would
allow the dump box to continue upward, reached between the rear dual
wheels and over the frame, and
disengaged the cable with his right hand.
The dump box then dropped suddenly,
crushing his head. The employee had not
received training or instruction in
proper operating procedures and was
not made aware of all potential hazards
in his work.
13
FATAL FACT
Two employees were installing
aluminum siding on a
farmhouse when it became
necessary to remove a 36-foot
high metal pole CB antenna.
One employee stood on a metal
pick board between two ladders
and unfastened the antenna at
the top of the house. The other
employee, who was standing
on the ground, took the
antenna to lay it down in the
yard. The antenna made
electrical contact with a 7200volt power transmission tine 30
feet 10 inches from the house
and 23 feet 9 inches above the
ground. The employee handling
the antenna received a fatal
shock and the other employee
a minor shock.
14
FATAL FACT
An employee had placed metal
bridge decking onto the stringers
of the bridge deck to be welded.
When the first decking was placed
down on the stringers, the
employee apparently stepped onto
the decking that he had just
placed down in order to put down
the next decking. The decking the
employee stepped onto was not
secured in place, resulting in the
employee falling approximately 80
feet into the river. Safety nets were
being used under another section
of the bridge but had not been
moved forward as the crew moved
to another area.
15
FATAL FACT
Five iron workers were
distributing 90-foot-long open
web bar joists on a building
under construction. The bar
joists were supported by vertical
columns spaced 30 feet apart.
The steel columns were not
framed in at least two directions
and the bar joists were not field
bolted to the vertical columns to
prevent collapse. The bar joists
shifted, causing the vertical
columns to lean. This caused
entire section of columns and
pen web bar joists to collapse.
Two employees rode the iron
down. One was fatally injured
and one received serious
injuries.
16
FATAL FACT
Employees were working on
structural steel, hoisting
pipes from ground level to
higher levels for storage.
While guiding a pipe to be
stored on the floor above, one
employee walked backwards
off the end of a stored pipe.
He fell about 12 feet to a
concrete deck, suffering a
fatal head injury.
17
FATAL FACT
An employee was assigned
to connect the X-braces at
the end of 40-foot long bar
joists. Only one end of the
bar joist he was working on
had been welded. The
employee was sitting on the
unwelded end of the bar joist
trying to connect the Xbraces. He lost his balance,
dislodging the bar joist from
its end support, and fell
approximately 24 feet to his
death.
18
FATAL FACT
Two connectors were erecting
lightweight steel "I" beams on
the third floor of a 12-story
building, 54 feet above the
ground. One employee
removed a choker sling from a
beam and then attempted to
place the sling onto a lower
empty hook on a series of
stringers. While the crawler
tower crane was booming away
from the steel, the wind moved
the load line and stringer into
the beam the employee was
standing on. The beam moved
while the employee was trying
to disengage the hook, and fell
to his death.
19
FATAL FACT
Employees were moving
a steel canopy structure
using a "boom crane"
truck. The boom cable
made contact with a 7200
volt electrical power
distribution line
electrocuting the
operator of the crane; he
was the foreman at the
site.
20
FATAL FACT
A three-man crew was
installing an underground
telephone cable in a
residential area. They had
just completed a bore hole
under a driveway using a
horizontal boring machine.
The bore hole rod had been
removed from the hole. While
the rod was still rotating, the
operator straddled it and
stooped over to pick it up.
His trouser leg became
entangled in the rotating rod
and he was flipped over. He
struck tools and materials,
sustaining fatal injuries.
21
FATAL FACT
An employee was
operating a bulldozer at
the top edge of a sloped
excavation for a six-foot
deep drainage ditch. The
bulldozer began to slide
down the side of the snow
and ice covered
excavation. It tipped over
on its side, pinning the
operator under the roll
bars.
22
FATAL FACT
A laborer and his foreman
were riding a material hoist
carrying two skids of bricks
up to the work floor. The skid
jack handle fell and jammed
into the interior cross
bracing bar of the hoist at the
fifth floor level. At the sixth
floor level, the foreman
jumped off the hoist. He
struck the protection
platform bar and was
subsequently knocked into
the hoist shaft. He fell 60 feet
to his death.
23
FATAL FACT
Two employees were using a
crawling board/chicken
ladder type apparatus while
they painted the roof of a
barn. The crawling
board/chicken ladder broke,
and both employees fell
approximately 35 feet to the
ground, One employee
sustained multiple injuries,
and the other employee was
killed.
24
FATAL FACT
An employee was
installing a small
diameter pipe in a trench
3 feet wide, 12-15 feet
deep and 90 feet long.
The trench was not
shored or sloped nor was
there a box or shield to
protect the employee.
Further, there was
evidence of a previous
cave-in. The employee
apparently recentered
the trench, and a second
cave-in occurred,
burying him. He was
found face down m the
bottom of the trench.
25
FATAL FACT
Employees were sand
blasting and painting a
water tower. A worker was
spray painting the inside
of the riser of the tower.
He was standing on a
fixed ladder 40 feet above
the riser floor without
wearing any fall protection
gear. Apparently he
slipped and fell through an
opening in the floor of the
riser onto a standpipe.
26
FATAL FACT
An employee was standing
on a six-inch wide plank laid
between two adjacent Ibeams 14 feet above a
concrete floor. He was using
a jackhammer to chip away
an old concrete and brick
floor from a horizontal Ibeam. Apparently he lost his
balance and fell to the floor
below, sustaining fatal head
injuries. He was not wearing
any fall protection gear nor
were floor openings
guarded by standard
railings and toe boards or
covers.
27
FATAL FACT
A welder entered a steel pipe (24 inch diameter) to grind a bad weld at a valve about 30
feet from the entry point. Before he entered, other crew members decided to add oxygen
to the pipe near the bad weld. He had been grinding intermittently for about five minutes
when a fire broke out enveloping his clothing. Another crew member pulled him 30 feet
to the pipe entrance and extinguished the fire. However, the welder died the next day
from his burns.
28
FATAL FACT
Carpenters were setting
trusses on the second floor
of a house they were
building. There was no
guardrail or floor cover
over the floor opening for
the stairway. While placing
a truss in position, one of
the carpenters fell through
the opening to the concrete
basement below.
29
FATAL FACT
A crew laying bricks on the
upper floor of a three-story
building built a six-foot
platform spanning a gap
between two scaffolds. The
platform was correctly
constructed of two 2" × 12"
planks with standard
guardrails; however, one of
the planks was not scaffold
grade lumber and also had
extensive dry rot in the
center. When a bricklayer
stepped on the plank it
disintegrated and he fell 30
feet to his death.
30
FATAL FACT
A laborer was working on
the third level of a
tubular welded frame
scaffold which was
covered with ice and
snow. Planking on the
scaffold was inadequate,
there was no guardrail
and no access ladder for
the various scaffold
levels. The worker
slipped and fell head first
approximately 20 feet to
the pavement below.
31
FATAL FACT
An electrician was
removing metal fish
tape from a hole at the
base of a metal light
pole. The fish tape
became energized,
electrocuting him.
32
FATAL FACT
Employees were laying sewer pipe in a
trench 15 feet deep. The sides of the
trench, 4 feet wide at the bottom and 15
feet wide at the top, were not shored or
protected to prevent a cave-in. Soil in
the lower portion of the trench was
mostly sand and gravel and the upper
portion was clay and loam. The trench
was not protected from vibration
caused by heavy vehicle traffic on the
road nearby. To leave the trench,
employees had to exit by climbing over
the backfill. As they attempted to leave
the trench, there was a small cave-in
covering one employee to his ankles.
When the other employee went to his
co-worker's aid another cave-in
occurred covering him to his waist. The
first employee died, the other employee
suffered a hip injury.
33
FATAL FACT
Two plumbers working in a
trench were being hoisted
to the street level in the
bucket of an excavator. As
the excavator operator
started to swing the bucket
it jerked causing one
employee to fall
approximately 14 feet
striking his head on the
pipe in the trench.
34
FATAL FACT
Three employees were taking
earth samples using a core
sampling rig with a 22 foot
high tower. As they removed
the sampling rod, the rod
struck a 4160 volt electrical
power line directly above the
work area. The employee
handling the sampling rod
and the employee handling a
guy wire attached to the
sampling rod were
electrocuted, while the third
employee who also was
handling the sampling rod
was severely shocked.
35
FATAL FACT
Four employees were
working near pile driving
equipment preparing to
drive the first piling.
Apparently the two clips on
the eye of the hammer
hoisting rope slipped,
permitting the hammer
which was still inside the
lead to fall some 45 feet.
The hammer struck a large
timber on the ground
breaking it. One end of the
timber struck the
employees, fatally injuring
one man.
36
FATAL FACT
A contract employee was
assigned to sandblast the inside
of a reactor vessel during
turnaround activities at a
petrochemical refinery. Instead of
relying on the contract company's
own air compressors in
accordance with the contractor's
policy, the contract foreman
connected the employee's
supplied air respirator to a hose
containing what he thought was
plant air. Instead it was nitrogen.
Both hoses were identical except
for markings at the shutoff valve.
The sandblaster entered the
vessel, descended to the bottom,
placed the respirator hood on his
head and was overcome.
37
FATAL FACT
Two employees were moving
structural steel building beams
to a storage area. After setting
the fourth beam on the crib, the
signal man signaled the crane
operator to pull the sling from
around a cribbed structural
beam which was set on its
flange side. The second
employee then attempted to
remove the shackle from the
beam when the swaged fitting
of the sling apparently caught
and caused the steel beam to
roll off the cribbing, crushing
the second employee.
38
FATAL FACT
An employee was driving a
front-end loader up a dirt
ramp onto a lowboy trailer.
The tractor tread began to
slide off the trailer. As the
tractor began to tip, the
operator, who was not
wearing a seat belt, jumped
from the cab. As he hit the
ground, the tractor's rollover
protective structure fell on
top of him, crushing him.
39
FATAL FACT
Five employees were
construction a chain link
fence in front of a house and
directly below a 7200-volt
energized power line. They
were installing 21-foot
sections of metal top rail on
the fence. One employee
picked up a 21-foot section of
top rail and held it up
vertically. The top rail
contacted the 7200-volt line,
and the employee was
electrocuted.
40
FATAL FACT
Four employees of a mechanical
contractor were laying a lateral
sewer line at a building site. The
foreman, a plumber by trade, and a
laborer were laying an eight-inch, 20foot long plastic sewer pipe in the
bottom of a trench 36 inches wide,
nine feet deep, and approximately 50
feet long. The trench was neither
sloped nor shored, and there was
water entering it along a shale seam
near the bottom. The west side of the
trench caved in near the bottom,
burying one employee to his chest
and completely covering the other.
Rescue operations took two and five
hours - too late to save the men.
41
FATAL FACT
An employee was constructing
the third level of a tubular welded
frame scaffold while standing on
the second level. The scaffold
was constructed on a poured
concrete floor and had been
leveled. Each section of the
framework measured 6'5" high.
The working surface was solidly
planked. When the employee
tried to set the third level frame
into the pins of the second level,
the frame he was trying to
position flipped to one side. The
momentum of the frame thrust the
employee backward off the
second level. He fell to the
ground, sustaining a fatal blow to
his head.
42
FATAL FACT
One employee was unloading a
40-foot wood telephone pole
from a pipe rack mounted on a
truck crane. The truck operator
raised the 17-foot boom to
provide sufficient distance for
the employee to place a cable
sling around the pole and then
attach the sling to the crane
hook. However, in raising the
boom, the operator made contact
with overhead power lines. The
victim reached for the metal
bicycle-chain style come-along
which secured the pole to the
truck rack and received a fatal
electrical shock. * Firm had a
safety and health training
program, but it had not been
updated to cover changes in pole
setting procedures.
43
FATAL FACT
A three-man crew was
digging a trench for a new
sewer line using a backhoe.
The backhoe was very
poorly maintained. Among
other problems, its starter
button did not work, and
the safety catch on the gear
shift was broken. In order
to starl the machine, the
operator used a
screwdriver to engage the
starter. When the gear shift
engaged, the vehicle
lurched forward, running
over the victim. * Firm had
a safety and health training
program but it had not
properly dealt with safe
work practices.
44
FATAL FACT
A construction crew was preparing
to pour concrete into forms. A
laborer climbed up a ladder on one
side of the forms and stepped over
the form to stand on an unguarded
scaffold on the opposite side. He
was carrying two hand trowels and
a brush to be used by other
workers after the concrete was
poured. He fell, striking his head
on a concrete slab at ground level
and sustained fatal injuries. *
Because the employee had
previously worked for the
employer on several different
occasions and had been
performing this type of work over
the last 21 years the employer felt
no training was necessary for this
employee and none was provided.
45
FATAL FACT
Three employees, under their
supervisor's guidance, were
demolishing a vehicular bridge 23
feet above a railroad track. The
railroad was anxious to have the
job completed as quickly as
possible because soil erosion and
disintegration of structural
members had caused the bridge to
shift. At the time of the accident the
central flooring had been removed
and two workers were on the
remaining wooden walkway when
they felt the bridge move. The
supervisor noticed the movement
also and called to both men to get
off the bridge. One worker ran to
safety, but the other froze and fell
with the bridge when it collapsed.
He died 11 days later.
46
FATAL FACT
Two employees were
doing remodeling
construction and were
building a wall. One of
the workers was killed
when he was struck by a
nail fired from a powderactuated tool. The tool
operator, while
attempting to anchor
plywood to a 2" × 4"
stud, fired the tool. The
nail penetrated the stud
and the plywood
partition prior to striking
the victim.
47
FATAL FACT
Two employees were spreading
concrete as it was being delivered by
1 concrete pumper truck boom. The
truck was parked across the street
from the worksite. Overhead power
lines ran perpendicular to the boom
on the pumper truck. One employee
was moving the hose (elephant
trunk) to pour the concrete when the
boom of the pumper truck came in
contact with the overhead rover line
carrying 7,620 volts. Employee
received a fatal electric shock and
fell on the other employee who was
assisting him. The second employee
received massive electrical shock and
burns.
48
FATAL FACT
The contractor was
operating a backhoe
when an employee
attempted to walk
between the swinging
superstructure of the
backhoe and a concrete
wall. As the employee
approached the backhoe
from the operator's blind
side, the superstructure
hit the victim crushing
him against the wall.
49
FATAL FACT
Employees were dismantling
grain spouts at a grain elevator.
Sections of the spout were
connected by collars. A ten foot
section of a spout weighing 600
pounds was being pulled through
a vent hole by a 5-ton winch. As
the spout was being pulled
through the opening to the
outside, the spout became
wedged at the point where the
collar was to pass through.
Several employees used pry bars
to free the collar which was under
tension. The spout popped out of
the vent striking and killing an
employee who was standing
beside the spout.
50
FATAL FACT
A four-man crew was
replacing a concrete filter
tank at a car wash
construction site. After
the small tank had been
removed, two employees
entered the trench to
hand grade the bottom.
The trench, 9' deep, 14'
long, and 6' wide, had
vertical faces which were
not shored or sloped. One
face of the trench
collapsed, fatally injuring
one employee and
causing serious injuries
to the other.
51
FATAL FACT
Two employees were
welding brackets onto an
oil storage tank (55,000
gallons). The tank, half
full, contained explosive
atmospheres of vapor
from waste chemical and
oil materials from
automobile and truck
service stations. One
worker was killed and
another injured when the
tank exploded and the
top was blown off.
52
FATAL FACT
A roofer, handling a
piece of fiberboard,
backed up and tripped
over a 7½ inch parapet.
He fell more than 50 feet
to ground level and died
of severe head injuries.
53
FATAL FACT
A plumbing company
employee and an
independent backhoe
operator were making a
sewer line connection in a
13-foot deep trench when a
portion of the trench wall
caved in burying the
employee. The backhoe
operator was buried up to
his chest in the trench.
54
FATAL FACT
Two employees were
sandblasting a 110 foot
water tank while working
on a two-point suspension
scaffold 60-70 feet above
the ground. The scaffold
attachment point failed,
releasing the scaffold
cables, and the scaffold
fell to the ground. The
employees were not tied
off independently, nor was
the scaffold equipped with
an independent
attachment system.
60 ft.
55
FATAL FACT
One employee was climbing a metal
ladder to hand an electric drill to the
journeyman installer on a scaffold
about five feet above him. When the
victim reached the third rung from
the bottom of the ladder he received
an electric shock that killed him.
The investigation revealed that the
extension cord had a missing
grounding prong and that a
conductor on the green grounding
wire was making intermittent
contact with the energizing black
wire thereby energizing the entire
length of the grounding wire and
the drill's frame. The drill was not
double insulated.
56
FATAL FACT
Employee was suspended
to the worksite in a
harness made of
lightweight chain on the
end of a crane load line.
During the operation the
load line separated from a
revolving drum due to
improper crane operation.
The victim was dropped
into approximately 40 feet
of water and was drowned.
The supervisor in charge
at time of the accident was
the designated competent
person at the site.
57
FATAL FACT
An employee was in the
process of locating an
underground water line.
A trench had been dug
approximately 4 feet
deep along side a brick
wall 7 feet high and 5 feet
long. The brick wall
collapsed onto the victim
who was standing in the
trench. The injuries were
fatal.
58
FATAL FACT
The employee was attempting to
correct an electrical problem
involving two non-operational
lamps. He proceeded to the area
where he thought the problem
was. He had not shut off the
power at the circuit breaker panel
nor had he tested the wires to
see if they were live. He was
electrocuted when he grabbed
the two live wires with his left
hand and then fell from the
ladder.
59
FATAL FACT
An employee was working in a
trench 4 feet wide and 7 feet
deep. About 30 feet away a
backhoe was straddling the
trench when the backhoe
operator noticed a large chunk
of dirt falling from the side wail
behind the worker in the trench,
he called out a warning. Before
the worker could climb out, 6 to
8 feet of the trench wall had
collapsed on him and covered
his body up to his neck. He
suffocated before the backhoe
operator could dig him out.
There were no exit ladders. No
sloping or shoring had been
used in the trench.
60
FATAL FACT
An employee was working on
a scaffold near the top of a
250-toot smoke stack when a
section of concrete being
removed fell onto the
scaffold, knocking the
employee off. The employee
was not tied off with a safety
belt and lanyard and fell to the
ground below.
61
FATAL FACT
Three employees were sandblasting
portions of a heat exchanger in a
manufacturing plant, preparing the
surface for paint. The job was almost
finished except for some touch-up work.
The air compressor used to supply
breathing air to the sand-blasters'
hoods was sent to another job. The
workers hooked their supply hoses into
the plant's air system without clearing it
with the plant's management. The plant
operators, not knowing the plant air was
being used for breathing air, shut down
the compressor for scheduled
maintenance. This caused the nitrogen
back-up system to come on line to
maintain air pressure. One sandblaster
was asphyxiated from the nitrogen
being fed into his hood.
62
FATAL FACT
Employee was operating an
aerial lift, with an extendable
boom rotating aerial work
platform. He was thrown from
the basket while moving the
machine. The boom was fully
extended and the machine
apparently ran over some
bricks, causing the boom to flex
or spring, throwing the
employee from the basket. The
fall was about 37 feet to a
concrete surface. The employee
died from severe head and chest
injuries. The foreman was not
on the site at the time.
63
FATAL FACT
A bulldozer operator was
preparing a road bed by
using the machine to lift
trees out of the way. A
hydraulic line to the right
front hydraulic cylinder
ruptured, spraying
hydraulic fluid onto the
engine manifold and into
the operator's
compartment. Upon
contact with the hot
manifold, the hydraulic
fluid ignited, engulfing
the operator in flames.
The operator died from
the burns he received.
64
FATAL FACT
Propane gas was being used to fuel a portable heater (blow torch). The
torch flamed out, allowing gas to gather in the bilge area of a
construction barge. The accumulated gas exploded with great force,
killing the worker.
65
FATAL FACT
Two laborers and a fork
lift driver were staking
40-foot-long I-beams in
preparation for for
structural steel erection.
One laborer was placing
a 2 X 4 inch wooden
spacer on the last Ibeam on the stack. The
fork lift driver drove up to
the stack with another Ibeam that was not
secured or blocked on
the fork lift tines. The Ibeam fell from the tines,
pining the laborer
between the fallen I beam
and the stack of beams.
66