UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Abstract: At about 11:30 a.m. on March 9, 2002, Employee #1 working as an experienced slitter operator for 20 years was going to pick a piece of 0.75-inch diameter pipe, when he tripped on a small platform (18 by 105 inches and 4 inches high from the ground) as he was bending down. Employee #1 fell forward into the pit head first. Employee #2 rushed into the pit, climbing down on the rails around the pit. (The rails were 8 inches in depth at intervals of 41.25 inches from the top to the bottom of the pit.) Employee #3 rushed to the supervisor's office to notify him and ask him to call an emergency response team. When Employee #2 reached the bottom of the pit, he found the employee lying on the side with his head face down and resting on his forearms. He was unconscious and shivering. Employee #2 stayed in the pit until the paramedics arrived. The injuries sustained, as the result of the exposure, were a broken neck, a large laceration to the back of Employee #1's head, and multiple skull fractures. He died of his injuries.