Inspection Detail

Inspection: 306109182 - United Cooperative

Inspection Information - Office: Madison Area Office

Investigation Summary

On January 5, 2004, a large cylindrical bin was mounted vertically inside a rectangular-like tower at a fertilizer blending plant. A chute, equipped with a pneumatically operated gate, at the cone-shaped bottom of the bin was used to load fertilizer into trucks. An expanded metal deck, installed almost 20 ft above ground level, surrounded the bin inside the tower. A fixed metal ladder with a 90-degree pitch extended from ground level up through a 30-in. square hinged trapdoor in the deck. Moisture from the cold and damp weather was causing problems with the pneumatically operated gate. Employee #1 climbed up the ladder, and he got onto the deck through the trapdoor. He went around to one side of the bin and pounded on the gate several times with a hammer to free it up. He was ready to come back down the ladder when he stepped into the trapdoor opening and fell to the concrete surface. Employee #1 sustained fractures and was hospitalized.

Keywords: FRACTURE, LADDER, FALL, CONCRETE, WORK SURFACE