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 #14468128

ERECTION PROCESS,COLLAPSE,CONSTRUCTION,STEEL ERECTION,FALL,TOWER

Event
ERECTION PROCESS,COLLAPSE,CONSTRUCTION,STEEL ERECTION,FALL,TOWER
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14468128
Report ID
155010

Event description

RADIO TOWER COLLAPSE

Investigation abstract

A 415' RADIO TOWER WAS BEING ERECTED IN A SWAMP. ONE OF THE THREE TIEDOWN ANCHOR WER ERECTION AND ANCHOR INSTALLATION PERFORMED BY SEPARATE CONTRACTORS. S, SPACED 120' APART AND 280' FROM THE TOWER BASE, FAILED WHILE EMPLOYEES #1 AND #2 WERE ON THE TOWER AND TIED OFF AT 220' AND 240' ELEVATIONS RESPECTIVELY. BOT H EMPLOYEES, AFTER RIDING THE TOWER DOWN, DIED ON IMPACT OF MULTIPLE BLUNT TRAUM A. TWO 100' HIGH-STRENGTH WIRE STRAND CABLES (.6"7-WIRE), PROTRUDING 6' FROM A M INI-CAISSON (5 1/2" CASING) DRILLED AT 38' FROM THE HORIZONTAL, WERE NOT IN CONT INUOUS LENGTHS. A PROTRUDING 6' TIEDOWN CABLE PULLED OUT OF A "SUPREME" ONE-TIME -USING (OUT) SPLICE CHUCK #S740 LOCATED JUST 6" INSDE OF CASING. BOTH CABLES WER E TESTED AT 125% OF THE DESIGN LOAD SIMULTANEOUSLY RATHER THAN INDEPENDENTLY. TO

Victims (2)

  1. #1 Fatality Age 20 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    5
    Source
    43
    Occupation code
    599
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    6
    Task assigned
    1
  2. #2 Fatality Age 27 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    5
    Source
    43
    Occupation code
    599
    Human factor
    17
    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.