Inspection Detail

Inspection: 738302 - Usx Edgar Thompson Works

Inspection Information - Office: Pittsburgh Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 6:15 a.m. on October 15, 1987, Employee #1, a utility man, was working at a scrap yard. His job was to move the scrap bucket and buggy from the scrap yard to the furnace for changing once the two overhead magnet cranes filled the bucket with scrap steel and cobble. At no time was he or any other employee permitted to enter the scrap yard area during the loading of the scrap box unless the operators of both the north and the south cranes were told to stop operations. Employee #1 noticed a large piece of scrap metal or cobble lying on the utility buggy; this would have prevented him from moving the buggy and scrap box to the furnace when the box was filled. He entered the scrap yard, walking along the north side of the scrap box, to notify the operator of the north crane to remove the scrap metal from the tracks. At this point, the operators of the north and south cranes both stopped their machines. When the south crane stopped, it dropped a cobble or a 1,000 lb piece of scrap metal that struck Employee #1, who was not visible to the crane operator. Employee #1 was hospitalized. At the time of the accident, he had had 3 weeks of training and approximately 5 weeks on the job.

Keywords: WORK RULES, SCRAP YARD, INEXPERIENCE, SCRAP METAL, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, COMMUNICATION, CRANE