OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14468128
PRESCOTT TOWERS LTD.
COLCHESTER, VT·
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 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 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.