OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14289375
S. W. RODGERS CONTRACTING CO., INC.
ASHBURN, VA·
Event description
EMPLOYEE INJURED WHEN STRUCK BY CONCRETE MANHOLE SECTION
Investigation abstract
AT APPROXIMATELY 2:30 PM ON DECEMBER 16, 1987, SEVERAL EMPLOYEES WERE RELOCATING MIDDLE MANHOLE SECTION. HE THEN STARTED OUT OF THE HOLE AS THE BACKHOE SIMULTANE OUSLY LIFTED THE TWO SECTIONS. EMPLOYEE #1 SLIPPED AND FELL ON THE MUDDY SURFACE JUST AS THE TWO MANHOLE SECTIONS REACHED THE SURFACE AND FLIPPED OVER. THE TOP SECTION BROKE OFF AND ROLLED ONTO EMPLOYEE #1'S LEG, CAUSING A FRACTURE AND DEEP LACERATION JUST ABOVE THE LEFT ANKLE. THE TOP MANHOLE SECTION WAS SOLID CONCRET E AND APPARENTLY MADE THE LOAD TOP HEAVY, CAUSING IT TO FLIP OVER. EMPLOYEE #1 S HOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN TIME TO CLEAR THE AREA BEFORE THE LIFTING BEGAN. A STORM SEWER MANHOLE DUE TO A STREET CURBING CHANGE. THE MANHOLE WAS A THREE S ECTION PRECAST CONCRETE STRUCTURE ABOUT FOUR FEET IN DIAMETER AND FIVE FEET HIGH . THE CHAIN WAS ATTACHED TO A HOOK ON THE BACKHOE BUCKET AND LOWERED INTO THE MA NHOLE EXCAVATION. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS THE ONLY ONE IN THE EXCAVATION AND WAS TO ATTA CH THE MIDDLE SECTION TO THE CHAIN. THE PLAN WAS TO LIFT THE TOP 2 SECTIONS AT O NCE SINCE THE WIRE LOOPS ON THE TOP SECTION SOMETIMES BREAK OFF. INDICATIONS WER E THAT THIS OPERATION HAD BEEN DONE SUCCESSFULLY IN THE PAST WITH NO PROBLEM. EM PLOYEE #1 INSERTED PINS AT EACH END OF THE CHAIN INTO HOLES ON EACH SIDE OF THE
Victim
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 30 M
- Nature of injury
- 12
- Part of body
- 18
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 27
- Occupation code
- 599
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 8
- 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.