Powered by GoogleTranslate

UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA

Contact Us FAQ A to Z Index English Español

Return to Accident Search Results

Accident Report Detail

Accident: 822650 - Employee'S Hand Injured By Falling Drill Hammer

Accident: 822650 -- Report ID: 0352440 -- Event Date: 01/13/1989
InspectionOpen DateSICEstablishment Name
10840981402/06/19891781Atec Associates Inc
On January 13, 1989, Employee #1, an assistant driller for B.A. Tec Assoc., Inc., Columbia, MD, and a coworker were boring a hole with a Mobile drill rig (Model No. B-61). They needed to obtain soil samples to determine if the water was contaminated. The employees had secured a 5-ft-long, 3.03-ft-diameter hollow auger about 3 ft into the ground. Suspended above the auger by the rig hoist was soil sampling spoon attached at the lower end and a 5-ft-long rod attached to the top. The rod guided a 140-lb hammer as the rig cathead hoist raised it. A ring was secured to the hammer which, when released, was designed to freefall 30 ft and drive the spoon into the ground. Employee #1 was operating the hammer with the cathead as he steadied the rod with his hands. After striking more than 100 blows, the ring separated from the hammer at the point where the rod entered the top of the hollow stem. The free hammer fell down the rod, striking Employee #1's hand. He was hospitalized for his injuries. Employees were instructed not to hold the drill rods with their hands. The company had a safety program and provided personal protective equipment.
Keywords: work rules, construction, equipment failure, drill rig--non-oil, struck by, falling object, hand
Employee # Inspection Age Sex Degree Nature Occupation
1 108409814 Hospitalized injury Amputation Drillers, earth

Thank You for Visiting Our Website

You are exiting the Department of Labor's Web server.

The Department of Labor does not endorse, takes no responsibility for, and exercises no control over the linked organization or its views, or contents, nor does it vouch for the accuracy or accessibility of the information contained on the destination server. The Department of Labor also cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked Web sites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked Web site. Thank you for visiting our site. Please click the button below to continue.

Close