Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125685677 - Cold Spring Granite Company

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento Mining & Tunneling District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 6:45 a.m. on March 3, 1999, Employee #1, of Raymond Granite in Raymond, CA, was changing the wire cutting element on a 10-gauge wire saw. This saw operates using emery (silicon carbide particles) applied by the force and speed of a 3/16 in. diameter, 1,200 ft long metal wire being drawn across large, approximately cubic granite blocks. Employee #1 was making 4 in. slabs of unpolished granite for use as gravestones and building material when one of the nine wires broke and became jammed on the new wire spool. Because it was broken from the main run, the approximately 150 ft long piece had to be cut from the machine. The remainder of the wire than had to be pulled through the machine and later rethreaded by hand As the broken wire was pulled through the machine, it became tangled on one of the shafts and became taut. Apparently, Employee #1 went to the tangle and cut one of the taut wires, which snapped back and wrapped around his throat, pinning his neck against a 3 in. diameter pipe. He died of asphyxia.

Keywords: ASPHYXIATED, WIRE ROPE, PINNED, CAUGHT BY, CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, SAW, NECK, FLYING OBJECT