Inspection Detail

Inspection: 309373660 - Alert Core Drilling, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Tampa Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, a job foreman, and a coworker were demolishing a 48-inch wide by 110-inch long by 8-inch thick section of concrete wall that weighed approximately 4,000 pounds. The employees were supposed to drill holes near the top of the cut section and at the top of the "bottom" section. The forks of a forklift were to be placed through the top holes prior to cutting out the slab. Straight cuts were to be made along the top, middle, bottom, and side of the wall. The bottom corners were to be left in place to hold the slab. Once the final cut was made releasing the upper section of the slab, the forklift would back the section out of the wall and place it in a designated area. The forklift would then return and remove the bottom section. At the time of the accident, a decision was made not to cut the holes in the concrete slabs to accommodate the forks of the forklift. As the other cutting progressed, Employee #1 was standing on top of a wood pallet that was on the forks of an SLC-18 manual lift. As the top section of concrete was pushed out onto the forks of the forklift, the weight and pressure pushed the top of the bottom section inward and broke the uncut corner supports. The bottom section struck the SLC, causing the employee to fall. The top concrete section then fell onto the employee, killing him.

Keywords: HEAD, WALL, DEMOLITION, WORK RULES, CRUSHED, MECH MAT HANDLING, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, CONCRETE