Inspection Detail

Case Status: CLOSED

Inspection: 1685832.015 - Underground Contractors Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Indiana Department Of Labor

Inspection Nr: 1685832.015

Report ID: 0551800

Date Opened: 07/26/2023

Site Address:
Underground Contractors Inc
7086 East State Rd 14
Columbia City, IN 46725

Mailing Address:
6207 Milan Center Rd, New Haven, IN 46774

Union Status: NonUnion

SIC:

NAICS: 238910/Site Preparation Contractors

Inspection Type: Fat/Cat

Scope: Partial

Advanced Notice: N

Ownership: Private

Safety/Health: Safety

Close Conference: 10/13/2023

Emphasis:

Case Closed: 02/10/2025

Related Activity
Type	Activity Nr	Safety	Health
Accident	2058767

Case Status: CLOSED

Violation Summary
Violations/Penalties	Serious	Willful	Repeat	Other	Unclass	Total
Initial Violations	1					1
Current Violations	1					1
Initial Penalty	$2,100	$0	$0	$0	$0	$2,100
Current Penalty	$2,100	$0	$0	$0	$0	$2,100
FTA Penalty	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0

Violation Items
#	Citation ID	Citaton Type	Standard Cited	Issuance Date	Abatement Due Date	Current Penalty	Initial Penalty	FTA Penalty	Contest	Latest Event	Note
1.	01001	Serious	5A0001	12/06/2023	01/01/2024	$2,100	$2,100	$0		Z - Issued

Investigation Summary

Investigation Nr: 158394.015

Event: 07/25/2023

Employee is killed from head trauma when struck by pipe wren

At 2:00 p.m. on July 25, 2023, an employee was working as a construction laborer for a site preparation contractor. The employee was instructed to install additional rod sections to the working end of a Vermeer D24×40 Series II horizontal directional drill. While the employee was installing the second of the four additional rod sections, Coworker #1, the foreman, started the drill before the crew had removed their pipe wrenches from the drill rod and cleared the area. In doing so, this caused the drill rod to rotate. This rotation led to one of the pipe wrenches striking the employee in the head. Coworker #2, who was located at the drill end, was uninjured. The employee sustained blunt force trauma to his head and was killed.

Keywords: Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Clearing, Construction, Drill, Drill Operator, Head, Installing, Laborer, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Pipe Wrench, Rotating Parts, Site Preparation , Struck By, Wrench

Investigated Inspection
#	Inspection	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation
1	1685832.015	60	M	Fatality		Construction laborers

Thank You for Visiting Our Website

You are exiting the Department of Labor's Web server.

The Department of Labor does not endorse, takes no responsibility for, and exercises no control over the linked organization or its views, or contents, nor does it vouch for the accuracy or accessibility of the information contained on the destination server. The Department of Labor also cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked Web sites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked Web site. Thank you for visiting our site. Please click the button below to continue.