Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1626928.015 - Bobby Georg Construction Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Austin Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 3:48 p.m. on October 5, 2022, an employee was assisting in removing cotter pins from an Etnyre Chip Spreader. The crew, which included the employee and a coworker (Owner), had arrived a Contractor's Ranch about 9:30 a.m. that day. They had completed about 600 linear feet of road with the chip spreader. When the crew was done they went to the entrance to dump the remaining chips and gravel and dismantle the equipment. The employee and the coworker backed the chip spreader about 30 feet from the gravel pile and parked the equipment. The backhoe operator positioned the loader bucket in front of the chipper box. The coworker and the employee climbed on top of the chip spreader toward the chipper box and connected chains from the chipper box to attach to the loader bucket. Dismantling the chip spreader requires powering down the equipment and disconnecting the hydraulic hoses. Next, they were to use the loader bucket to lift the chipper box just enough to allow the cotter pins to be removed. The employee and the coworker were removing the pins starting on the right side and then moving to the left side. The left side was giving them some trouble, so they used the cotter pin from the right side as a tool to knock out the left side cotter pin. Once the pins were out, the coworker said he was putting the hair pin back into the cotter pin when he looked up and noticed the employee laying face up by the backhoe tire nearly under the counterweight. The coworker rushed to the employee and picked up his head to see what happened and he noticed a large amount of blood coming from the back of the employee's head. The coworker said he grabbed his handkerchief and started applying pressure but noticed that employee was not responding. He called for EMS and they arrived in about 20 to 30 minutes. The EMTs attempted lifesaving procedures but the employee was pronounced dead at the scene. The employee had an open wound on the back of his head from being struck by the equipment.

Keywords: Abrasion, CPR, Chipper, Concussion, Construction, Construction vehicle, Contusion, Cotter Pin, Dismantling, Fracture, Front End Loader, Head, Loader Bucket, Material Handling, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Road Paving, Struck Against, Struck By