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Accident: 201760766 - Employee Fell And Died In Tower Collapse

Accident: 201760766 -- Report ID: 0626600 -- Event Date: 02/03/1999
InspectionOpen DateSICEstablishment Name
30131431602/04/19991623System One Communications
Some employees were erecting an antenna tower. They had assembled and erected the first 30 meters of the 73-meter-tall antenna the previous week. The antenna was to be made of twelve 6.1-meter-long sections. The antenna was supported with three guys, 120 degrees apart, attached at the 18-meter level. One employee was tied off at the top of the tower as a gin pole was being raised. The front end of the gin pole closest to the tower was approximately 3 to 6 meters above the ground with its back end touching the ground when the guy on the northeast leg of the tower failed and the tower collapsed. The employee on the tower was carried to the ground and trapped beneath the collapsed structure. He died of his injuries. The guy that had failed was on the opposite side from where gin pole was being lifted. The guy clamp supplied by tower manufacturer was apparently not the proper size for the guy in use. The clamp was designed for cables of 8 to 13 millimeters in diameter. However, the guy in use was only 6 millimeters in diameter. The guy clamp on the failed guy had two of its three bolts loose, but it could not be determined if they were loose at the time of the accident. It was believed that the rigging attachment point was too low, causing additional strain against the failed guy. The hoist had been set up in nearly a straight line to the lift and the guy that had failed rather than at the 90-degree angle to the tower specified in the National Association of Broadcasters Engineering Handbook. In addition, the tower being erected was larger but of lighter construction than previous towers the employees had erected.
Keywords: communication tower, collapse, equipment failure, crushed, guy, fall, tower
End Use Proj Type Proj Cost Stories NonBldgHt Fatality
Tower, tank, storage elevator New project or new addition $50,000 to $250,000 100 X
Employee # Inspection Age Sex Degree Nature Occupation Construction
1 301314316 Fatality Other Structural metal workers FallDist:
FallHt:
Cause: Steel Erection Of Open Web Steel Joists-Landing Ma
FatCause: Collapse of structure

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