Inspection Detail

Inspection: 105633655 - Geneva Steel

Inspection Information - Office: Utah Division Of Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 and a coworker were assigned to unload two large steel rolls (approximately 35 tons each) from a railroad car. They had removed the first roll without incident. After connecting to the second roll, they made a trial lift of about four inches. The load was balanced so they moved back away from it. The coworker went to the southeast corner of the car while Employee #1 went to the northeast corner. The signal was given to the crane operator and the load was lifted about four feet. Right after starting to move to the south, the load came loose and fell back into the railroad car. This weight upset the car and tipped it to the west, throwing both men to the west side of the car. A spreader then came down and pinned Employee #1 to the west side of the railcar, fracturing his arms and legs. The cables and the spreader were examined after the accident and the cables were found to be in good condition. One of the pieces on the spreader bar was broken, but in such a manner that it had to have happened after the load began to fall. It is probable that as the crane started to move, there was a slight hesitation in its motion. This would have caused the load to swing more than normal, and the wire rope that was around the steel roll, five inches from the end, would have slipped over the end, dropping the load.

Keywords: FRACTURE, HOISTING MECHANISM, WIRE ROPE, SLIP, SUSPENDED LOAD, STRUCK BY, ARM, FALLING OBJECT, SPREADER BAR, LEG