OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #104525456
EAGLE TOWER LTD.
EUCLID, MN·
Event description
STRUCK BY FALLING SWITCH BLOCK
Investigation abstract
A CREW OF EMPLOYEES WAS ERECTING A 625-FOOT RADIO TRANSMISSION TOWER. FROM A HEI GHT OF 560 FEET, THE CREW HAD RAISED A LOAD CONSISTING OF A GIN POLE TO A HIGHER LEVEL. ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES, A METAL WORKER, CALLED FOR A LOAD, WITHOUT TELLING THE WINCH OPERATOR TO DISENGAGE THE JUMP WINCH. AS THE POWER TO THE WINCH (A PO WER TAKE-OFF FROM A TRUCK ENGINE) WAS APPLIED, THE JUMP WINCH WAS STILL ENGAGED. THE STRESS CAUSED THE HEADACHE BALL TO BE DRAWN UP THROUGH THE SWITCH BLOCK, WH ICH BROKE LOOSE. THE SWITCH BLOCK FELL ONTO THE METAL WORKER AND BROKE HIS SKULL . HE WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR HIS INJURY.
Victim
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 21 M
- Nature of injury
- 12
- Part of body
- 13
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 24
- Occupation code
- 597
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 5
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.