Inspection Detail

Inspection: 303642573 - Williams Gas Pipeline Central

Inspection Information - Office: Oklahoma City Area Office

Inspection Nr: 303642573

Report ID: 0627700

Date Opened: 04/06/2001

Site Address:
Williams Gas Pipeline Central
7 Miles West Of Buffalo
Buffalo, OK 73834

Mailing Address:
Rt.1 Box 110, Alva, OK 73717

Union Status: Union

SIC:4923

NAICS: 0

Inspection Type: Accident

Scope: Partial

Advanced Notice: N

Ownership: Private

Safety/Health: Safety

Close Conference: 04/11/2001

Emphasis:

Case Closed: 07/19/2001

Related Activity
Type	Activity Nr	Safety	Health
Accident	100642099

Violation Summary
Violations/Penalties	Serious	Willful	Repeat	Other	Unclass	Total
Initial Violations	4					4
Current Violations	1					1
Initial Penalty	$14,850	$0	$0	$0	$0	$14,850
Current Penalty	$4,500	$0	$0	$0	$0	$4,500
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	Latest Event	Note
1.	01001	Serious	19260600 A03 II	06/21/2001	06/25/2001	$4,500	$4,500	$0	-
2.	01002	Serious	19260651 E	06/21/2001	06/25/2001	$4,500	$4,500	$0	I - Informal Settlement	Citation has been deleted.
3.	01003	Serious	19260651 K02	06/21/2001	06/25/2001	$4,500	$4,500	$0	I - Informal Settlement	Citation has been deleted.
4.	01004	Serious	19260652 A01	06/21/2001	06/25/2001	$1,350	$1,350	$0	I - Informal Settlement	Citation has been deleted.

Investigation Summary

Investigation Nr: 200641793

Event: 04/05/2001

Employee killed when struck by backhoe bucket

At 10:50 a.m. on April 5, 2001, a crew of three excavation workers were reclaiming and blocking a section of unused gas pipeline. They were digging a hole, approximately 11-feet on the north edge, 15-feet on the east edge, 12.5-feet on the west edge, 13-feet on the south edge, and the depth varied from 4-feet to 7.5-feet. One employee was operating a Caterpillar backhoe, Employee #1 was down in the hole working, and one coworker was standing on the bank handing tools to Employee #1 down in the hole. At first they were digging around the gate box and got the gate box out. After the gate box was taken out, they continued to dig around the tap gate valve. After finishing digging the east side of the hole, the backhoe operator was maneuvering to the west side to get a better dig and Employee #1 in the hole moved to the east corner of the hole. When the backhoe operator was getting into position, he shifted the gears into neutral but did not set the emergency brake. He turned the seat around and increased the engine throttle in order to lower the outriggers. Then the backhoe stared to roll into the hole. The bucket on the back of the backhoe struck Employee #1 standing in the hole in the back, knocking him to the ground and pinning him under it. Employee #1 died from his injuries.

Keywords: EXCAVATION, FRACTURE, BRAKE, PINNED, ROLL-OVER, CAUGHT BETWEEN, BACKHOE

Investigated Inspection
#	Inspection	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation
1	303642573			Fatality	Fracture	Occupation not reported

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