Inspection Detail

Inspection: 106962558 - Wepfer Marine, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Nashville Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 worked for an employer who has a contract with a barge transportation company to remove the hatch covers prior to a barge being unloaded at a nearby terminal. The covers are removed and the barge is moved to the terminal where is it unloaded and returned to the company terminal for cleaning and replacement of the hatch covers. Employees are required to enter the barge and use brooms and shovels to clean up corn and place it into a steel fabricated container, which is hoisted by a crane and placed on the river bank for disposal. When the cleaning process is completed, the hatch covers are placed on the barge. The placement of the barge covers is done by a three-person crew consisting of a crane operator, a bank person to connect the slings, and a barge person to disconnect the slings. The person that disconnects the slings must climb up on the hatch cover, as the eyelets for the sling hooks are 18 in. from the outside edge. Employee #1 climbed up on the cover at the end where the hatch was open. He lost his balance and fell backward 16 ft to the barge floor. He landed on his head and was killed. The barge cover design places the eyelets too far from the edge to reach while standing on the deck.

Keywords: BARGE, HEAD, COVER, HATCH, FALL, LOST BALANCE