Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1801489.015 - Elite Drilling Services Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Denver Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 1:30 p.m. on January 30, 2025, Employee #1 and Employee #2, both drillers, and Employee #3, a geologist, were conducting soil testing. Employee #1 was operating a CME 75 Truck Mounted Drill collecting soil samples. While Employee #2 was attempting to collect the soil, a six-foot solid auger was in operation nearby. During the process, the hood of Employee #2's hoodie became caught on the auger connection pins pulling him into the rotating mechanism. This resulted in Employee #2 being rapidly spun at a high velocity. Consequently, Employee #2 forcefully collided with the truck causing multiple fatal injuries Employee #1 attempted to administer life-saving aid to Employee #2 by trying to grab him, but this caused Employee #1 to also be pulled into the rotating mechanism. Employee #1 sustained multiple injuries. Employee #3 then attempted to assist Employee #1 causing her to injured her right wrist in the process. Employee #1 and Employee #3 were hospitalized to treat multiple injuries.

Keywords: Abdomen, Amputated, Amputation, Arm, Auger, Auger Mechanism, Broken, Broken Bone, Catch Point, Caught By, Chest, Clothing, Collapsed lung, Dislocated, Drill, Drill, Drilling, Engineering Controls, Entangled, Equipment Operator, Fracture, Head, Instantaneous amputation, Internal , Internal Bleeding, Internal Injuries, Laceration, Lack of Engineering Controls, Lack of Work Procedures, Lung, Machine Guarding, Machine operator, Material Handling, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, PPE, PPE Hazard Assessment, Pinch Point, Pinched, Pulled In, Rib, Rotating Parts, Rotating Shaft, Shear, Sheared, Site Preparation , Soil, Test Equipment, Testing, Torso, Traumatic Amputation, Unguarded, Unsafe Position, Wrist, Wrong Equipment