Inspection Detail

Inspection: 303076483 - Merit Electrical & Instrumentation Corp

Inspection Information - Office: Baton Rouge Area Office

Investigation Summary

On September 28, 1999, Employee #3, a 19-year-old electrical instrument helper with Merit Electrical and Instrumentation Corporation (MEI), was at an Air Products facility construction site in Geismar, LA. That morning a contractor had positioned a 50-ton Lorain LRT 400 series hydraulic crane in an open area that consisted of compacted fill material. This was the only location that the crane could situated because the receiving area for the equipment was very close to the property border. MEI had set up a work bench and its personnel were using it as a staging area for work conducted in the general area. Employee #1 was at the work bench, with his back to the crane, cutting Unistrut metal framing for electrical installations. The crane was moving large sections of piping to a new location when it overturned and Employee #1 was struck by the falling crane boom. He was killed. The crane's outriggers were set but matting was placed only under the northwest outrigger pad because of buried piping in the area. At the start of the construction project, Air Products was responsible for clearing the site and having fill material brought in. The site was originally swamp and large amounts of fill had been brought in and compacted prior to commencing construction.

Keywords: MECH MAT HANDLING, HYDRAULIC CRANE, CRANE BOOM, STRUCK BY, UNSTABLE SOIL, OVERTURN, CONSTRUCTION, UNSTABLE POSITION