OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14204184
FRACTURE,WIRE ROPE,WORK RULES,FLAGMAN,NECK,STRUCK BY,LOGGING,DRAGLINE
Event description
STRUCK BY SKYLINE CABLE DURING LOGGING OPERATION
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1 WAS WORKING AS A TEMPORARY FLAGGER/ROADWATCHMAN AT A CABLE LOGGING S F THE SKYLINE CUT LOOSE AND SWEPT TOWARD EMPLOYEE #1. THE CABLE STRUCK HIM ON HI S LEFT SIDE, BREAKING HIS LEFT LEG AND TOSSING HIM OVER THE EDGE OF THE ROAD. HE LANDED ON HIS HEAD, SUFFERING A BROKEN NECK. HE DIED INSTANTLY. HOWEVER, HE WAS NOT MISSED FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS. NO ONE KNEW THAT HE WAS NEAR THE LINES WHEN THE ROAD CHANGE OCCURRED. WHEN THE RIGGING SLINGER NOTICED A TRUCK WAITING AT TH E INCOMMING FLAGGER'S STATION, HE BECAME CONCERNED ABOUT THE WHEREABOUTS OF EMPL OYEE #1. WORK WAS STOPPED AND A SEARCH BEGUN. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS FOUND BY THE HOOK TENDER AND THE SECOND LOADER. WHEN FOUND, HE HAD NO VITAL SIGNS, AND APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN DEAD FOR SOME TIME. AUTHORITIES WERE CONTACTED VIA THE TWO WAY RADIO SYSTEM. THE COUNTY SHERIFF AND INSURANCE INSPECTORS CAME TO THE SCENE. EMPLOYEE ITE. THE EMPLOYER WAS USING A SKYLINE SETUP WHICH HAD A GRAVITY FED CARRIAGE AND #1'S BODY WAS TAKEN TO MORTUARY FACILITIES WHERE AN AUTOPSY COULD BE PERFORMED. ABOUT 4000 FEET OF CABLE. THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT, A ROAD CHANGE WAS TO TAK E PLACE. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE SECOND RIGGER TO STOP THE SKYLINE WHE N IT WAS HIGH ENOUGH TO ALLOW A LOADED LOG TRUCK TO PASS. EMPLOYEE #1 FAILED TO STAY AT HIS WORK STATION, AS HE HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED. INSTEAD, HE WALKED DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT 300 YARDS TO WHERE THE LOG TRUCK WAS WAITING. WHEN THE SKYLINE WAS R AISED, EMPLOYEE #1 BLEW HIS STOP WHISTLE, AND THE LOG TRUCK DROVE AWAY. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS WALKING TO THE UPHILL WARMING FIRE (HIS WORK STATION), WHEN A SIDEWASH O
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 21 M
- Nature of injury
- 12
- Part of body
- 20
- Event type
- 5
- Source
- 43
- Occupation code
- 494
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 6
- Task assigned
- 2
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.