105,313Records 71,083Employers 85,290Hospitalizations 27,770Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-10-31
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14382774

FRACTURE,HEAD,COLLAPSE,PELVIS,FALL,TOWER,FOOT

Event
FRACTURE,HEAD,COLLAPSE,PELVIS,FALL,TOWER,FOOT
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14382774
Report ID
521400

Event description

SUPPORT TOWER FOR GRAIN CONVEYOR SYSTEM COLLAPSED

Investigation abstract

AT APPROXIMATELY 11:50 AM ON NOVEMBER 3, 1986, EMPLOYEES #1 AND #3 WERE INSTALLI OYEE #3 HEARD A LOUD SNAP AS THE TOWER IN THE CENTER OF THE TEMPORARY BIN FELL O VER. EMPLOYEES #1 AND #3 FELL WITH THE TOWER. EMPLOYEE #1 SUSTAINED SEVERE HEAD INJURIES AND DIED THE FOLLOWING DAY. EMPLOYEE #3 WAS HOSPITALIZED WITH A BROKEN LEFT HEEL. EMPLOYEE #2 TRIED TO RUN BACK TO THE PERMANENT STORAGE TANKS ON THE C ATWALK, BUT FELL OFF WHEN HE REACHED THE AREA ABOVE SUPPORT TOWER #2. THE 60 FOO T FALL CAUSED MULTIPLE FRACTURES OF HIS PELVIS AND INTERNAL BLEEDING. THE TOWER COLLAPSE CAUSED THE ADDITIONAL COLLAPSE OF THE ENTIRE CONVEYOR SYSTEM AND TOWER #2. TOWER #1 REMAINED STANDING ON 2 LEGS. NG A TARPAULIN OVER A TEMPORARY STORAGE BIN. THEY WERE LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 18 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL IN A TOWER USED TO SUPPORT THE CONVEYOR DELIVERY SYSTEM. THE TOWER WAS LOCATED IN THE CENTER OF THE TEMPORARY STORAGE BIN. EMPLOYEE #2 W AS STANDING ON THE CATWALK OF THE CONVEYOR SYSTEM, APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET HIGH, D IRECTING THE INFLATION OF THE TARP OVER THE TEMPORARY STORAGE BIN. THE TARP WAS BEING INFLATED BY FANS LOCATED IN THE WALL OF THE TEMPORARY STORAGE BIN. THE TAR P WAS NOT INFLATING EVENLY AND BECAME CAUGHT ON THE TOWER. EMPLOYEES #1 AND #3 W ERE TRYING TO DISLODGE THE TARP SO IT WOULD ASCEND EVENLY AROUND THE TOWER. EMPL

Victims (3)

  1. #1 Fatality Age 26 M

    Nature of injury
    6
    Part of body
    13
    Event type
    5
    Source
    8
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    13
    Hazardous substance
    8880
    Task assigned
    2
  2. #2 Hospitalized Age 28 M

    Nature of injury
    12
    Part of body
    14
    Event type
    5
    Source
    8
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    13
    Hazardous substance
    8880
    Task assigned
    2
  3. #3 Hospitalized Age 26 M

    Nature of injury
    12
    Part of body
    11
    Event type
    5
    Source
    8
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    13
    Hazardous substance
    8880
    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.