Inspection Detail

Inspection: 303350235 - Donjon Marine Co. Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Parsippany Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 1:32 p.m. on April 14, 2000, Employee #1 was working on the rigging of a dockside, 550-ton container-loading crane. He was straddling a heavy duty, 7,020 lb chain that had just been tied off to the structural beams of the crane using multiple ties of 1 in. manila rope. Employee #1 was positioning the chain on top of the horizontal beam when the ropes used to tie the chain to the beam broke. The chain, which was still attached to the crane's load line, slipped off the beam and fell, causing the load line and chain to become taut. This resulted in Employee #1 being catapulted between 10 and 15 ft into the air and to be flung outward approximately 32 ft. He had already been working at a height of about 47 ft at the time the rigging failed, and fell altogether between 57 and 62 ft into a nearby parking are. Subsequent investigation revealed: 1) the manila ropes used to secure the chain to the crane were relatively new, but they failed after becoming chaffed and/or cut on the relatively sharp edges of the beam/steel plate to which they had been attached; 2) although the rope was said to have been inspected before its use, it was adequately inspected (as necessary) during its use to ensure it was safe. This was a violation of T8CCR 1926.251(a)(1); 3) the employee was not protected by a fall protection system, at the time of the accident, a violation of T8CCR 1926.501(b)(1); 4) the employee had not been trained in fall protection, and had not been given site training relative to fall protection and the applicable OSHA regulations. This was a violation of T8CCR 1926.21(b)(2) and 1926.503(a)(1).

Keywords: RIGGING, ROPE, WORK RULES, BROKEN CABLE, CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, HOIST, FALL PROTECTION, UNTRAINED, CRANE