Inspection Detail

Inspection: 120199609 - Union Pacific Railroad

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento District Office

Investigation Summary

On September 19, 2004, Employee #1 and a coworker, both machinists, were assigned to install an oil cartridge on the oil cooler of Railcar Engine UP 9844. A previous crew had removed the cartridge, and they were to re-install it. The coworker left to get an oil seal as Employee #1 began to remove the shutter screen. Employee #1 believed this to be necessary to allow access to the area where the oil cartridge was to be installed. He identified two eye rings just above the screen that he believed were connected to the screen. He connected an overhead crane to these eye rings and proceeded to remove the bolts securing the screen to the locomotive. When he removed all of the bolts securing the screen, the screen became unstable and fell, knocking him to the ground. Provisions were not made by the workers to prevent components of the railcar from becoming unstable. Employee #1 was not trained on the use of the methods and tools used at the rail-yard to install an oil filter on the UP 9844 Railcar Engine. Employee #1 was hospitalized with a fractured hip.

Keywords: FRACTURE, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, TRAIN, UNTRAINED, HIP, RAILROAD