Inspection Detail

Inspection: 115085599 - North Star Recycling Company

Inspection Information - Office: Iowa 0751910

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, the foreman, and Employee #2 were part of a five-person crew changing a 5 ft 6 in. tall by 17 ft 2 in. long by 17 in. wide electrode holder arm on a steel melting furnace. They removed the bolts connecting the 12,200 lb arm to the furnace and then used an overhead crane to lower the arm to an area of the railroad track next to the furnace. The crew set the arm on wooden blocks because of the uneven rock and slag surface, but they did not like the way the arm was sitting and repositioned it once or twice. A coworker then climbed on the arm to unhook the crane before starting to rig the new arm that would replace the old one on top of the furnace. Both arms, which were identical, were sitting side by side, about 7 ft apart, when Employee #1 squatted down between them to figure out how to rig the new one. Employee #2 was standing next to him when the old arm tipped over on them. Employee #1 was killed and Employee #2 sustained a fractured leg. The arm that fell over had been sitting in the same position for about 10 minutes before the accident.

Keywords: FURNACE, FRACTURE, UNSECURED, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, STRUCK BY, MELTING FURNACE, FALLING OBJECT, LEG, UNSTABLE POSITION