OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14382865
FURNACE,WORK RULES,CLEANING,BACK,STRUCK BY,FALLING OBJECT
Event description
EMPLOYEE STRUCK AND KILLED BY FALLING PIECE OF SLUDGE
Investigation abstract
AT ABOUT 1 PM ON DECEMBER 14, 1986, EMPLOYEES #1 THROUGH #3 WERE CLEANING OUT A YS. THE EMPLOYEES BEGAN CLEANING THE PIT ON DECEMBER TENTH, AND BY THE DATE OF T HE ACCIDENT HAD REMOVED ABOUT 18 FEET OF SLUDGE FROM THE PIT (ABOUT 12 FEET SQUA RE). THE PREVIOUSLY UNMOVABLE CHUNK OF SLUDGE FELL 55 FEET FOM THE DUCTWORK INTO THE PIT AND STRUCK EMPLOYEE #1 IN THE BACK, KILLING HIM. PIECES OF SLUDGE ALSO STRUCK EMPLOYEES #2 AND #3, SLIGHTLY INJURING THEM. CITATIONS FOR CONFINED SPACE ENTRY WERE RECOMMENDED. POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT PIT AT A STEEL MILL'S ELECTRIC FURNACE. THE CLEANUP OPERATION HAD BEGUN ON DECEMBER 7TH, WHEN THE FURNACE WENT DOWN FOR MAINTENANCE, AT THE TIME THE EMPLOYEES BEGAN CLEANING THE SLUDGE FROM THE DUCTWORK AT THE SC RUBBER, SLUDGE FELL FROM THE OPPOSITE WALL, STRIKING EMPLOYEES #1 AND #3. ALL WO RK IN THE DUCTS WAS THEN HALTED AND THE SLUDGE ACCUMULATION WAS WASHED OFF WITH HIGH PRESSURE WATER HOSES (8,000 PSI). ALL THE SLUDGE IN THE DUCTWORK WAS REMOVE D EXCEPT FOR A PIECE APPROXIMATELY 2 FEET SQUARE, WHICH COULD NOT BE BUDGED EVEN AFTER A 2 1/2 HOUR HOSEDOWN. THE TOTAL WASHDOWN TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY 3 1/2 DA
Victims (3)
-
#1 Fatality Age 34 M
- Nature of injury
- 12
- Part of body
- 5
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 40
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 6
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Non-hospitalized injury Age 43 M
- Nature of injury
- 3
- Part of body
- 3
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 40
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 6
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#3 Non-hospitalized injury Age 20 M
- Nature of injury
- 3
- Part of body
- 15
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 40
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 6
- 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.