OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14196406
ABRASION,TRUSS,COLLAPSE,CRUSHED,STRUCK BY,VERTEBRA,SPRAIN
Event description
TOPPLE & COLLAPSE OF WOODEN ROOF TRUSSES
Investigation abstract
ON DECEMBER 31, 1985, 5 EMPLOYEES OF SHELTER SYSTEMS CORP OF MD. WERE SERIOUSLY SE/COORDINATE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES. THE WOOD ROOF TRUSSES WERE MANUFACTURED O N SITE. WHEN THE TIME CAME TO ERECT THEM VOLUNTEERS WITH LITTLE OR NO EXPERIENCE ERECTING WOOD ROOF TRUSSES WERE GATHERED TO WORK UNDER THE INDEPENDENT CONTRACT OR. THESE EMPLOYEES ERECTED 14 OF THE TRUSSES THE DAY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AND 13 ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. THEY STOPPED ERECTING THE TRUSSES BECAUSE OF PROB LEMS ENCOUNTERED WITH THE TRUSSES SET THE PREVIOUS DAY. APPARENTLY, INSUFFICIENT TEMPORARY RIGGING HAD RESULTED IN THE TRUSSES NOT BEING PLUMB. THE EMPLOYEES SP ENT A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TRYING TO BRACE THE TRUSSES SET THE PREVIOUS D AY. 4 EMPLOYEES WERE WORKING ON THE TRUSSES, A FIFTH WAS BRINGING 2 X 4'S UP FRO M GROUND LEVEL, USING AN UNSECURED PORTABLE LADDER. MEANWHILE, THE SIXTH EMPLOYE INJURED WHEN WOODEN ROOF TRUSSES, 72' LONG, WEIGHTING 200 TO 300 POUNDS APIECE, E AND A SINGLE EMPLOYEE OF THE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR WERE ADJUSTING THE SPACING ON THE TRUSSES SET THE DAY BEFORE. A LOUD CRACKING NOISE WAS HEARD AS THE 13 TR USSES TOPPLED AND COLLAPSED TO THE GROUND. TOPPLED AND COLLAPSED 20 FEET TO THE GROUND. 3 OF THE 5 EMPLOYEES WERE TREATED A T THE HOSPITAL FOR SPRAINS, STRAINS AND ABRASIONS AND RELEASED. 2 WERE ADMITTED FOR SURGERY. 1 HAD A COMPLETELY CRUSHED RIGHT HEEL, THE OTHER CRUSHED VERTEBRAE. THERE WAS ONE MORE EMPLOYEE WHO ESCAPED ALL INJURY. DURING THE INVESTIGATION IT WAS FOUND THAT SHELTER SYSTEMS CORP OF MD., A MANUFACTURER OF WOOD FLOOR / ROOF TRUSSES, WAS IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING AN ADDITIONAL BUILDING (72'W X 116'L X 20 'H) CONSTRUCTED AT ITS FACILITY. THEY HIRED AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR TO SUPERVI
Victims (6)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 21 M
- Nature of injury
- 20
- Part of body
- 3
- Event type
- 5
- Source
- 43
- Occupation code
- 733
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 21 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 11
- Event type
- 5
- Source
- 43
- Occupation code
- 733
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 30 M
- Nature of injury
- 3
- Part of body
- 3
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 43
- Occupation code
- 733
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 24 M
- Nature of injury
- 20
- Part of body
- 3
- Event type
- 5
- Source
- 43
- Occupation code
- 733
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#5 Hospitalized Age 22 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 3
- Event type
- 5
- Source
- 43
- Occupation code
- 733
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#981 Degree 0 Age 0
- Nature of injury
- 0
- Part of body
- 0
- Event type
- 0
- Source
- 0
- Occupation code
- 0
- Human factor
- 0
- Environmental factor
- 0
- Task assigned
- 0
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.