Inspection Detail

Inspection: 455074.015 - Washington Group/Alberici Joint Venture

Inspection Information - Office: Fairview Heights Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 1:00 p.m. on June 1, 2012, an employee was working on a construction project, building a navigational lock and dam on the Ohio River. The task involved using the towboat Lipscomb connected to the sand barges to push them against the current, then to connect and moor with another stationary barge that had been spudded in the middle of the Ohio River. The employee, a deck men and Coworker #1 were on the sand barges. Coworker #2, the towboat operator, maneuvered the sand barges to the point where the front of the barges were close enough to attach a head line to the spudded barge. Once this line was connected, Coworker #2 was moving the rear of the barges to attach the rear line to the spudded barge. During this time, the employee walked on the south side of the sand barge between the north side of the stationary barge. With the towboat pushing the rear southward, this was an ever decreasing pinch point hazard between the two barges. The employee slipped on the loose sand on the edge of the sand barge and fell between the two barges. Coworker #2 saw the employee fall, however, the inertia of the towboat and the sand barges, plus the delay whenever the towboat propellers are changed from forward to reverse, made stopping impossible before the barges closed the gap. The employee was crushed and killed between the barges. The employee received crushing injuries to his chest and head. The employee was wearing a protective helmet, safety shoes, safety glasses, high visibility vest and a personal flotation device. The weather was hot and clear.

Keywords: Barge, Caught Between, Chest, Crushed, Lost Balance, Material Handling, Nip Point, Ship, Struck By