Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 14408140 - One killed, one injured when steel column overturns

Accident Summary Nr: 14408140 -- Report ID: 0626700 -- Event Date: 02/21/1997
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
116266206	02/21/1997	1611	0	Williams Brothers Construction Co.

Abstract: At approximately 11:00 a.m. on February 21, 1997, Employees #1 and #2 and coworkers were using a crane to place a 64 ft tall by 9 ft in diameter steel reinforcing column. Employee #1 was situated 57 ft up on the inside of the column; his job was to unhook the crane from the column. Employee #2 was located 25 ft up on the north side of the column, interconnecting the column to the reinforcing rods that protruded from the foundation onto which the column had been set. Guy wires were in place and secured to concrete blocks. Several minutes after Employee #1 disconnected the column from the crane, the column fell over in a westerly direction. Employee #1 died of head injuries and Employee #2 suffered a broken hand. The primary causal factor was improper engineering calculations.

Keywords: ERECTION PROCESS, FRACTURE, HEAD, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, STEEL COLUMN, FALL, HAND, OVERTURN

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Commercial building		New project or new addition		$50,000 to $250,000	3	64	X

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	116266206			Fatality	Concussion	Occupation not reported	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Erecting structural steel Fatality Cause: Struck by falling object/projectile
2	116266206			Hospitalized injury	Fracture	Occupation not reported	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Erecting structural steel Fatality Cause: Collapse of structure

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