Inspection Detail

Inspection: 15368624 - Superior Construction Company Incorporated

Inspection Information - Office: Indiana Department Of Labor

Investigation Summary

On the morning of November 29, 1984, two employees were assigned the task of bolting up diaphragms to lateral girders at two piers. By lunch, they had completed both piers. After lunch they were told that the second pier should be redone with a larger sized bolt. Working from east to west, they changed the bolts on the diaphragms connecting the first and second and second and third girders and on the east end of the third, or center, diaphragm. In moving from the east end of the diaphragm to the west end, a distance of not more than 8 feet, one of the employees fell off the concrete pier cap surface to the concrete base, 21 feet, 6 inches below, and an additional 4 feet down to the river bank. He died of injuries sustained in the fall. The surface from which he fell was 43 inches wide, dissected lengthwise by the 10.5-in.-wide I-beam-shaped diaphragm, with 15 inches of clearance under the diaphragm. This provided a working surface 16.5 in. wide on both sides plus the open space under the diaphragm. Between the east and west points of the center diaphragm, the pier cap had an 8-inch step down, which could possibly have been a contributing factor to the fall.

Keywords: PIER, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, STEEL CONNECTING