Inspection Detail

Inspection: 102260437 - Inland Marine Service, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Baton Rouge Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, a deck hand, was working on a spud barge helping a coworker raise the spud legs. The spud barge is 35 ft wide by 150 ft long and has two spud legs on the port side that are raised and lowered by a winch system. When the spud leg is raised high enough a pin, approximately 3 in. in diameter by 42 in. long, is inserted through a hole in the leg to prevent it from falling if the winch brake releases. The spud leg apparently was raised just high enough for Employee #1 to insert approximately 4 in. of the 42 in. pin into the hole in the spud leg when the winch brake failed. The leg dropped approximately 1 or 2 ft and the pin came up, pinning the employee between the pin and spud leg and causing crushing injuries to his chest. Employee #1 was killed.

Keywords: CHEST, BARGE, BRAKE, PIN, PINNED, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, WINCH