OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14456982

CLOTHING,ROTATING PARTS,WORK RULES,CAUGHT BY,CONSTRUCTION,CRUSHED,LANYARD,BOOM SUPPORT CABLE

1985-02-21T00:00:00

Event: CLOTHING,ROTATING PARTS,WORK RULES,CAUGHT BY,CONSTRUCTION,CRUSHED,LANYARD,BOOM SUPPORT CABLE
Linked inspection: No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number: 14456982
Report ID: 854910

Event description

Employee killed when caught by boom line spool and crushed

Investigation abstract

A 225-ton American crawler crane was being demobilized for shipment. Employee #1 but rotated independently. The lines ran over the tops of the spools, putting t hem slightly below Employee #1's head as they were drawn from the horizontal boo m. He guided the lines, as necessary, to yield an even tight lay. By this point, the whip line had been secured and the boom line was being spooled at 16 rpm. E mployee #1 was standing on a metal floor and apparently was astride the continuo usly rotating auxiliary 5 in. diameter shaft. To one end of the shaft was attach ed a 27-in. diameter friction clutch, which operated the whip line spool and was open on the side closest to the employee. Employee #1 had on a safety belt with a shoulder harness and lanyard. It appears that Employee #1's clothing or lanya rd became caught in the rotating parts. The clutch continued to rotate approxima was helping to wind the boom line, whip line, and main load line onto their bas tely 3/4 turn after Employee #1 alerted the operator that he was caught. He was pulled into a 13 in. area and killed. e spools. Because there were no loads on the lines, they were resistant to being rolled, and tended to overlap or lay unevenly. Employee #1 was standing in a 34 in. wide opening that was approximately 3 1/2 ft between the boom line and whip line spools and a metal guard/shield. The shield was an integral, but not a str uctural, part of the machine and it was intended to guard against workers fallin g into the rotating auxiliary shaft and clutch during normal maintenance of the crane. The whip line spool and boom line spool were on a common horizontal axis,

Victim

#1 Fatality Age 43 M

Nature of injury
21

Part of body
19

Event type
2

Source
24

Occupation code
999

Human factor
4

Environmental factor
2

Task assigned
2

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