OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #221444631
UTILITY CONTRACTORS, INC.
WICHITA, KS·
Event description
Employee is killed when struck by lifting beam
Investigation abstract
At 9:30 a.m. on March 10, 2022, a four person crew was installing a 6-foot by circumference of the pipe. A chain link snapped on one of the chain hoists. The chain break caused the spreader beam to swing/rotate and the swinging 6-foot by 4-inch bar struck an employee. The employee was struck by a 6-foot by 4-inch steel spreader beam in the chest, causing fatal injuries. 48-inch diameter pipe into a concrete effluent box at a new water treatment facility. The crew used a variety of materials/equipment to seat the 48-inch diameter pipe, including chain hoists, chokers, and a 6-foot by 4-inch steel spreader beam (traditionally used during lifting loads with a crane). The crew arranged the chain hoists and chokers to provide pulling tension to the spreader beam, which was secured by the two hoists at the open end of the pipe. A hoist was secured to opposite ends of the spreader beam. The spreader beam was the method by which the crew attempted to apply an equal force across the
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 55 M
- Event type
- 1
- Occupation code
- 7010
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.