Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 82358.015 - Employee working from boat drowns in river
Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
1109836.015 | 12/02/2015 | 1731 | 238210 | 69726 - L T Wilson - Sons Inc |
Abstract: At approximately 9:00 a.m. on November 23, 2015, Employee #1 and Coworker #1, employed by an electrical company, were installing electrical wiring conduit and receptacles at a private floating boat dock on a river. To access the conduit, which was attached to the underside of the dock approximately 10 feet above the river's surface, they were working from a flat pontoon-type boat measuring 8 feet wide by 20 feet long. The boat had no motor or paddles for maneuvering and no guardrails. The two employees used their hands to move the boat, and used their hands and a length of rope to hold the boat in place as they worked. Employee #1 and Coworker #1 were standing in the boat as they maneuvered it under a metal gangway. They lost control of the boat in the strong river current, and the boat pulled away from the gangway. The current in the river was approximately 1.5 knots, which equals 1.7 miles per hour. Both employees jumped from the boat. They caught and held onto the gangway rails with their legs dangling in the water. When they could hold on no longer, they dropped into the water, a fall height of 1 to 2 feet. Water temperature was 57 degrees Fahrenheit, and air temperature was in the mid 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Coworker #1 succeeded in swimming to the boat, which had crashed into another dock approximately 100 yards away. Employee #1 struggled in the water, unable to stay afloat. Employee #1 drowned.
Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1109836.015 | 53 | M | Fatality | Occupation not reported | |
2 | 1109836.015 | 44 | M | Hospitalized injury | Occupation not reported |