Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1572397.015 - U. S. Pipe

Inspection Information - Office: Va-E-Lynchburg (Field Office) - Safety 0355117

Investigation Summary

At 12:25 p.m. on January 11, 2022, an employee was engaged in "rolling" 8 inch diameter iron pipe sections along rails to an area where they could be lifted via forklift and moved to another area of the plant. The employee was waiting for pipe to be deposited from a higher level via a cart that dumped the pipe onto an arm and clamp machine which lowered them to the rails. The arm and clamp machine was operated by a coworker on the upper level. The machine uses hydraulics to raise and lower the pipe sections and is equipped with an audible alarm and light system to warn employees of pipe sections being lowered. Two sections of pipe successfully came off of the clamp and onto the rails while one section was hung up and still on the arms. The coworker hit the notification system and operated the machine to attempt to lower the hung up section of pipe when it somehow fell off of the arms. The pipe bounced and struck the employee on his right elbow which he was using to hold the other two sections of pipe back on the rails. The employee incurred a puncture wound and arterial damage to his right arm at the elbow, requiring hospitalization.

Keywords: Alarm, Arm, Artery, Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Clamp, Elbow, Falling Object, Hydraulic Equipment, Iron, Machine operator, Malfunction, Material Handling, Mech Malfunction, Metal Pipe, Multi-employer Worksite, Multiemployer, Pipe, Puncture, Puncture Wound, Rail, Safety Monitor System , Struck By