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 #14490965

EXCAVATION,EQUIPMENT OPERATOR,EARTHMOVING EQUIP,EXCAVATOR,SLIPPERY SURFACE,DROWN,WATER

Event
EXCAVATION,EQUIPMENT OPERATOR,EARTHMOVING EQUIP,EXCAVATOR,SLIPPERY SURFACE,DROWN,WATER
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14490965
Report ID
215800

Event description

EXCAVATOR OPERATOR DROWNED WHEN MACHINE SLID INTO WATER

Investigation abstract

AT APPROXIMATELY 1 PM ON FEBRUARY 26, 1988, EMPLOYEE #1 WAS OPERATING A STEEL-TR ACKED EXCAVATOR. HE INTENDED TO USE THE EXCAVATOR'S BUCKET TO DETERMINE THE DEPT H OF AN ICE COVERED HOLE. AS HE EXTENDED THE BOOM OF THE EXCAVATOR TO BREAK THRO UGH THE ICE, THE EXCAVATOR ROCKED AND THEN SLID INTO THE ICE-COVERED WATER. EMPL OYEE #1 COULD NOT ESCAPE FROM THE EXCAVATOR'S CAB AND DROWNED WHILE TRYING TO SW IM TO THE WATER'S SURFACE.

Victim

  1. #1 Fatality Age 33 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    12
    Source
    41
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    11
    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.