Inspection Detail

Inspection: 119798098 - Agri Systems

Inspection Information - Office: American Canyon District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:45 on June 4, 1996, Employees #1 and #2, along with their foreman, returned from a break to continue working near the top of a grain tank. The regular crane operator, who had lowered them to the ground when their break began, was not in the crane when they returned, but the crane's cab was open and its engine was running. The foreman got in the crane and raised Employees #1 and #2 in the crane's manbasket, up to working height. The foreman then put the haul line drive in neutral, applied the job haul brake, and attempted to boom into the structure. When he removed his foot from the brake, the basket went into a free fall. The foreman quickly stepped on the brake again, abruptly arresting the basket's fall. Employees #1 and #2 were thrown against the railing and floor of the manbasket. Employee #1 suffered fractured ribs, while Employee #2 had almost all of his teeth knocked out. Both workers also sustained multiple other injuries, for which they were hospitalized. Neither employee had been secured to the manbasket at the time of the accident. The causal factors in this incident include the failure of the regular operator to secure the crane, the foreman's inexperience in lifting personnel, and the job haul line being placed in neutral.

Keywords: FRACTURE, WORK RULES, STRUCK AGAINST, CONSTRUCTION, LOCKOUT, INEXPERIENCE, RIB, HAULBACK LINE, FALLING OBJECT, CRANE