Inspection Detail

Inspection: 15190325 - Shurtliff & Andrews

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

Investigation Summary

A 225-ton American crawler crane was being demobilized for shipment. Employee #1 was helping to wind the boom line, whip line, and main load line onto their base spools. Because there were no loads on the lines, they were resistant to being rolled, and tended to overlap or lay unevenly. Employee #1 was standing in a 34 in. wide opening that was approximately 3 1/2 ft between the boom line and whip line spools and a metal guard/shield. The shield was an integral, but not a structural, part of the machine and it was intended to guard against workers falling into the rotating auxiliary shaft and clutch during normal maintenance of the crane. The whip line spool and boom line spool were on a common horizontal axis, but rotated independently. The lines ran over the tops of the spools, putting them slightly below Employee #1's head as they were drawn from the horizontal boom. He guided the lines, as necessary, to yield an even tight lay. By this point, the whip line had been secured and the boom line was being spooled at 16 rpm. Employee #1 was standing on a metal floor and apparently was astride the continuously rotating auxiliary 5 in. diameter shaft. To one end of the shaft was attached a 27-in. diameter friction clutch, which operated the whip line spool and was open on the side closest to the employee. Employee #1 had on a safety belt with a shoulder harness and lanyard. It appears that Employee #1's clothing or lanyard became caught in the rotating parts. The clutch continued to rotate approximately 3/4 turn after Employee #1 alerted the operator that he was caught. He was pulled into a 13 in. area and killed.

Keywords: CLOTHING, ROTATING PARTS, WORK RULES, CAUGHT BY, CONSTRUCTION, CRUSHED, LANYARD, BOOM SUPPORT CABLE