Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 14234041 - Employee suffers massive head injury
Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
102273554 | 12/14/1989 | 3312 | 0 | Sheffield Steel Corporation |
Abstract: At about 7:30 p.m. on December 13, 1989, Employee # 1 and three others were in a locomotive switch engine pushing three railcars loaded with billets on an in plant railroad track. The employees attempted to couple an additional car to the three-car line. Railcar number 30, at the end of the line was bumped twice into an uncoupled railcar number 44 in order to be coupled, however, the coupler on car number 30 failed to open. Employee #1 dismounted the switch engine and walked between the railcars to manually open the coupler and allow the hook-up. The chain that connected the drawbar to the coupler pin was broken and was missing, and caused the coupler drawbar to become in operable. Employee 1 squat between the two railcars and attempted to open the coupler. The uncoupled railcar number #44, which weighed approximately 110 tons, was setting on a grade of tangent equaling 0.3, rolled toward Employee #1 was not blocked, scotched or secured. The Railcar squeezed Employee #1's head between the two couplers and causing a massive head injury resulting in his death.
Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 102273554 | Fatality | Fracture | Machine operators, not specified |