Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307596601 - Trinity Marine Products Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Baton Rouge Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 5:00 a.m. on September 20, 2004, Employee #1 was working with a DART welding machine. This machine measures approximately 60 ft by 60 ft and moves on steel tracks that are supported 2 ft above the floor. Approximately every 45 to 60 minutes, the machine is moved along the rails about 6 to 7 ft into a new working position. The working portion of the machine (located within and traveling perpendicular to the tracks) performs six simultaneous welds on the bottom of a barge hull. Employees occasionally work within the rails during welding operations, either to the north or south of the DART welding. When the DART is ready to move to a new position, the DART operator is required to ascertain the location of any other employees and ensure that they leave the location between the tracks. A bell sounds when the DART actually begins to move (when the motor circuit is activated). The bell does not provide any adequate warning time for potentially exposed employees to clear the area. The vertical building columns located a few inches from the DART welding machine posed a "caught-between" hazard as the machine moved along its rails. While setting up for morning operations, the operator of the DART welding machine set it in motion towards the location of the pending operation. A few seconds later, the machine stopped moving. It was then discovered that Employee #1 had become caught between the moving DART welder and one of the building columns and was killed.

Keywords: RAIL, WORK RULES, MACHINE OPERATOR, COLUMN, WELDING, CAUGHT BETWEEN, RAILROAD TRACK, COMMUNICATION, BOAT, INATTENTION