Worker dies after crane tips into holding pond.
Source
NIOSH 1998 Jul; :1-3
Abstract
A 49-year-old worker (victim) suffocated after the crane he was operating tipped into a holding pond at a secondary waste water treatment plant. On the day of the incident, workers used a crane to dredge sludge from a holding pond. The crane was equipped with a bucket that was used for excavating solid materials. The crane was also equipped with a locking device that allows the bucket to be operated but prevents the crane from moving. The locking device was not set at the time of the incident. The victim had extended the boom and bucket and started dredging when the crane rolled over the edge of the roadway and into the pond. Another worker placed a 911 call to emergency personnel who arrived shortly after being called and pronounced the victim dead at the scene. MN FACE investigators concluded that, in order to reduce the likelihood of similar occurrences, the following guidelines should be followed: 1. ensure that workers follow established safe-work practices; 2. manufacturers should design cranes with an interlock which would prevent the boom from being operated unless the locking device was set; and 3. employers should design, develop, and implement a comprehensive safety program.
Keywords
Region-5; Accident-analysis; Accident-prevention; Accidents; Injuries; Injury-prevention; Traumatic-injuries; Work-operations; Work-analysis; Work-areas; Work-performance; Work-practices; Safety-education; Safety-equipment; Safety-measures; Safety-monitoring; Protective-measures; Safety-programs; Equipment-operators; Equipment-reliability; Sewage-industry; Sewage-treatment
Document Type
Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
Funding Type
Cooperative Agreement
NTIS Accession No.
PB2011-100011
Identifying No.
FACE-98MN004; Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-CCU-507283
Source Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Performing Organization
Minnesota Department of Health
