Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 201344496 - Two employees killed in fall when gondola cable breaks

Accident Summary Nr: 201344496 -- Report ID: 0729700 -- Event Date: 07/10/2007
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
310778519	07/10/2007	1731	238210	Structural Inspection, Inc.

Abstract: At approximately 9:20 a.m. on July 10, 2007, Employee #1, the company owner, and Employee #2, a helper, both ironworkers, were replacing television transmission equipment 920 ft up on a 1,000 ft communications tower. They were riding a gondola-style man-basket pulled by a 1/4 in. wire rope up a trolley line that was anchored to a 16 ft flatbed trailer approximately 450 ft from the base of the 1,000 ft high tower. When the man-basket was approximately three-quarters of the way up, the wire rope line broke. The man-basket fell back down the trolley line, striking the ground and then the anchor point. Both Employee #1 and Employee #2 were tied off to the basket and were killed on impact. The coworker winch operator was not injured. The tower had been rigged approximately two weeks earlier by Employee #1.

Keywords: COMMUNICATION TOWER, TELECOM WORK, WIRE ROPE, IRON WORKER, WORK RULES, BROKEN CABLE, CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, FALL, AERIAL LIFT

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Tower, tank, storage elevator		Maintenance or repair		Under $50,000		1000	X

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	310778519			Fatality	Other	Occupation not reported	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: 950 feet Cause: Installing equipment (HVAC and other) Fatality Cause: Fall from/with bucket (aerial lift/basket)
2	310778519			Fatality	Other	Occupation not reported	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: 950 feet Cause: Installing equipment (HVAC and other) Fatality Cause: Fall from/with bucket (aerial lift/basket)

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