Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 201168440 - Employee Fractures Leg While Cutting Cable Under Tension

Accident Summary Nr: 201168440 -- Report ID: 0950641 -- Event Date: 02/22/2007
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
126154475	02/22/2007	1795	238910	Teg/Lvi Environmental Services

Abstract: Employee #1 works for a company that specializes in hazardous material remediation and demolition services. The job site was a County building, built in 1935. The scope of work for this company was hazardous material removal, and removal and storage of historical and architectural elements, for future restoration of this site. Included in the scope of work was the demolition, and removal of the original elevators. The elevator cars had been landed on the bottom floor, then the counterweights were supported by a winch, and their cables cut. They then landed the counterweight, with the winch. Employee #1 was assigned to use an oxy-acetylene cutting torch to cut the wire rope into pieces small enough to be carried out of the shaft. After Employee #1 cut a pile of the rope, one piece was caught, so he got onto a 16-in. wide ledge behind the counterweight stack, and cut the stuck piece. As soon as it was cut, a loop of rope under and behind Employee #1 started to move and the counterweights slid down approximately 2 ft additional. The coil of wire wrapped around Employee #1's lower leg as he tried to stand up and broke both bones in his lower leg. Employee #1 was hospitalized.

Keywords: FRACTURE, DEMOLITION, WIRE ROPE, CAUGHT BY, ELEVATOR, CUTTING AND BURNING, ELEVATOR SHAFT, LEG

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Commercial building		Alteration or rehabilitation		$5,000,000 to $20,000,000	8

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	126154475			Hospitalized injury	Fracture	Welders and cutters	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Elevator, escalator installation Fatality Cause: Elevator (struck by elevator or counter-weights)

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