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Accident: 49166.015 - Employee Falls From Dust Collector And Is Killed

Accident: 49166.015 -- Report ID: 0523400 -- Event Date: 07/28/2013
InspectionOpen DateSICEstablishment Name
923391.01507/28/2013S & S Technologies, Inc.
At 7:15 a.m. on July 28, 2013, Employee #1 was re-rigging the dust collector uni t with chains, chain hoist, and "come alongs" so it could be lowered to the grou nd. Employee #1 was assisting with the removal of the dust collectors. The S&S d etermined that the most cost efficient method of removal was to use chain fall h oists at or near the four corners of the unit and lower it to the floor manually . This required employees to stand on top of the dust collector as it was being lowered to operate the chain hoist. This appeared to be a common practice for th e company and had been the proposed method to be used when the company bid on th e contract. The dust collectors were located in the center of the building, in a n area that provided limited working area to the workers engaged in the removal activities. The exact weight of the unit being removed at the time of the acci dent was unknown prior to the removal. Based on the experience and as an educat ed guess of the owner of S&S, the unit was estimated to weigh between 20,000 and 24,000 pounds. Two 2-ton hoists were used on the north end and two 3-ton hoists were used on the south end. During the lowering of the unit, Employee #1 and tw o other co-workers were on top of the unit, moving and adjusting the hoist to ke ep the unit level. Employee #1 was re-rigging the load when witnesses stated the y heard a noise at the southern end of the unit. The unit dropped, falling to th e floor. The northern end remained suspended. One co-worker was able to hang o nto a portion of the guardrail and ride the load down while another co-worker wa s able to hang onto the aerial lift, which was struck by the dust collector when it fell. Employee #1 fell approximately 30 feet to the ground below and died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head.
Keywords: broken chain, elevated work platform, fall, falling object, hoist, rigging, suspended load
Employee # Inspection Age Sex Degree Nature Occupation
1 923391.015 48 M Fatality Millwrights

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