UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

A drill-rig operator and a laborer were preparing to pour concrete. They had drilled a hole, 1.8 meters in diameter and 9.1 meters deep. The hole was for concrete to anchor large metal utility poles. The operator was in the crane, and the laborer was on the ground, hooking up a trimming pipe used to force the concrete to the bottom of the hole, displacing any water. The laborer had signaled for the crane operator to raise the drilling mechanism and was hooking up the choker line to the drill rig. The crane operator was going to release the freeline. The controls for the freeline and drilling mechanism were adjacent to each other and were clearly marked. Instead of releasing the freeline, the operator released the drilling mechanism. The drilling mechanism struck the laborer and pinned his leg. The injured employee was hospitalized with his right leg amputated below the knee. The employees were wearing appropriate personal protective equipment, including hard hats, steel-toed shoes, and safety glasses.