Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315220137 - Chicago Steel Construction, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Chicago North Area Office

Investigation Summary

On February 8, 2011, Employee # 1 a 43 year old male iron worker was fatally injured when a steel beam fell on top of him. Employee # 1 was killed when the entire western cantilevered bay of the steel canopy structure collapsed and one its steel members struck him. The steel beam was a component of a steel canopy structure that consisted of three bays: a western cantilevered bay, a center bay and an eastern cantilevered bay. The eastern cantilevered bay had not yet been erected prior to the fatal accident. The entire steel canopy structure was being erected at the entrance of a local hospital's new building addition. During the erection process there were two sets of shoring towers installed underneath the inner beams of the western cantilevered side of the structure. The shoring towers are installed to stabilize the cantilevered ends of the structure until it is completely erected and will then be removed when the structure is secured and final. The shoring towers rested on those inner beams that connected their eastern ends to the western vertical columns that were located in the center bay. The collapse of the western cantilevered bay is believed to be the result of improper placement of the shoring towers and not weather related. It is believed that the shoring towers should have been installed on the outside header beams instead of the two inner beams. The shoring towers were inappropriately placed and the stability of the structure was compromised and not maintained; therefore, the collapse occurred. Employee # 1 and four other coworkers on the site were trained in regards to the tasks and responsibilities pertaining to iron workers.

Keywords: STEEL BEAM, COLLAPSE, STRUCK BY