Inspection Detail

Inspection: 494378.015 - Solomon Corporation

Inspection Information - Office: Wichita Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 6:40 a.m. on June 29, 2012, Employee #1 was the crane operator utilizing a remote wireless handheld control and Employee #2 was a nearby worker. Employee #1 picked up a 17,500 pound electrical transformer core utilizing a bridge crane with a DMAG Model FDH1040H40KW2 25 ton hoist. Employee #1 moved the electrical transformer core from the drip-pan to the tear-down area utilizing two metal alloy chain slings. After setting the core down in the tear-down area, Employee #1 disengaged the chain sling hooks so the crane could be moved from the area in preparation for the manual dismantling the transformer core. Employee #1 began walking around the core and simultaneously began moving the crane not realizing that one of chain sling hooks had become entangled with the transformer core causing it to tip over onto Employee #1. Employee #1s legs and lower torso was crushed and he was killed. Employee #2, who was in the area adjacent to the core, was struck by the transformer core and sustained a minor shoulder injury.

Keywords: Crane, Crane Operator, Crushed, Falling Object, Leg, Sling, Struck By, Torso, Unstable Load