Construction worker dies after falling 20 feet through an equipment hatch into a sewage pumping station wet well.
Authors
New Jersey Department of Health
Source
Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 93NJ087, 1994 Apr; :1-4
On September 24, 1993 a 20 year-old male construction worker was killed after falling 20 feet into a wet well at the construction site of a sewage pumping station. The incident occurred while the victim and co-workers were removing mud that had collected at the bottom of a newly constructed sewage wet well. The victim was standing at the top of the wet well to guide a 50 gallon drum that was being lowered into an equipment hatch. As he was placing his foot against the drum, the chain holding the drum slipped off its supporting hook, causing the drum and the victim to fall into the wet well. NJDOH FACE investigators concluded that, in order to prevent similar incidents in the future, these safety guidelines should be followed: 1. Employers should ensure that all access and equipment hatches are protected with guard rails. 2. Employers should ensure that employees have the proper equipment and training to perform a given task. 3. Employers and employees should develop and implement a comprehensive safety program. 4. Employers and employees should conduct a daily job hazard analysis of all work areas.
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