Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 201081486 - Employee injures back when struck by falling pipe

Accident Summary Nr: 201081486 -- Report ID: 0950625 -- Event Date: 10/28/1998
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
119977270	03/18/1999	1623	0	Professional Pipeline Contractors Inc

Abstract: Employee #1 was working in a 4 ft deep trench at the construction site of a 1,000,000 sq ft warehouse. At the same time, a Caterpillar 446 backhoe was lifting 5 ft long by 8 in. diameter concrete-wrapped steel pipe from the trench using steel binder chain with hooks on each end. The backhoe operator was raising the pipe when it struck the top edge of the trench, causing slack in the chain. One of the hooks became loose and the approximately 250 lb pipe fell into the trench, striking Employee #1 in the back. He sustained a spinal injury, for which he was hospitalized. The chain had been wrapped around the circumference of the pipe. At one end of the pipe, the hook of the chain had been positioned around the chain circling the pipe. The hook at the other had been positioned between the pipe and the chain, with the end of the hook facing away from the pipe. After the hooks were positioned, the looped end of the chain was placed on a hook welded to the back of the backhoe bucket.

Keywords: WORK RULES, STRUCK AGAINST, CONSTRUCTION, TRENCH, BACK, LOAD BINDER, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, BACKHOE

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Commercial building		New project or new addition		$20,000,000 and over	1	35

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	119977270			Hospitalized injury	Fracture	Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Trenching, installing pipe Fatality Cause: Struck by falling object/projectile

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