Inspection Detail

Inspection: 112057674 - Jones Brothers Construction, Inc

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, an oiler on a heavy duty crawler backhoe (Caterpillar model #245), had been the safety man for this piece of equipment for the last 8 months. His responsibilities included grade checking and keeping employees and passersby from behind the machine when it was working or being moved. At quitting time, Employee #1 walked to the front of the backhoe and yelled at the operator that it was time to go home. The operator took the shovel out of the hole, swung the bucket to the right to empty the soil, swung back to the left, and saw Employee #1's body lying alongside the track. Employee #1 had been struck in the throat by the counterweight, which broke his neck and nearly severed his head. According to the coroner, Employee #1 died instantly. Employee #1 was a sixth period apprentice operating engineer. His apprenticeship coordinator provided documentation proving that Employee #1 had recently concluded eight hours of lecture and video training on the subject of equipment safety.

Keywords: THROAT, FRACTURE, COUNTERBALANCE, CONSTRUCTION, NECK, STRUCK BY, BACKHOE