Inspection Detail

Inspection: 114123888 - Heavy Equipment Repair Corp.Of New York, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Manhattan Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, a service mechanic for Heavy Equipment Repair Corporation, was doing maintenance work while standing under the uplifted bucket of a Caterpillar 973 bucket loader. Two bent 5/16 in. thick by 3 in. wide by 32 in. long steel track-shaped blocking irons had been used by the work crew to prop up the bucket. The bucket came down on Employee #1, and he died of asphyxia and crushing injuries. It was his first week back with this company after an absence of two years, and he had gone to the site with a driver. There were no witnesses to the accident. A key was in the ignition of the machine, although it was not clear if it was running. The employer was cited for a violation of the lockout standard for inadequate blocking of the bucket, since these irons crumpled under the weight of the bucket and were field-made blocking irons that were not heavy enough for the job. Citations were also issued for failure to lock out the machine while doing maintenance work with exposure to falling loads, and failure to provide adequate training in lockout procedures.

Keywords: MAINTENANCE, ASPHYXIATED, WORK RULES, MECHANIC, LOCKOUT, CRUSHED, STRUCK BY, BULLDOZER, FALLING OBJECT, UNTRAINED