Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1696442 - Peoples Gas System Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Tampa Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was being transported from ground level to the top of an approximately 75 ft tall natural gas holder. He was sitting atop a job-made compressed gas cylinder rack that held six oxygen and two mapp cylinders, and that was being hoisted by a Grove hydraulic crane, model # RT75S. The cylinder rack had been lifted approximately 30 ft when the manual fly section retracted without warning and the rack dropped to the ground. Employee #1 was struck by the falling headache ball and suffered a fractured skull and sternum, a compound fracture of the right femur with almost complete severing of the leg, compound fractures of the left femur and right radius, and traumatic amputation of his left ring and little fingers. He was killed. The manual fly retraction was caused by the shearing of a nonapproved safety pin.

Keywords: HYDRAULIC CRANE, FALL, STRUCK BY, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, FRACTURE, SHEAR, PIN, CONSTRUCTION, FALLING OBJECT, HEADACHE BALL