Inspection Detail

Inspection: 309597029 - Bedroc Contracting Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Tarrytown Area Office

Investigation Summary

On January 3, 2007, an employee was operating a Cat skid steer loader on a demolition project. One of the activities the loader was used to perform was to push structural steel beams off the edge of a building during demolition operations. One such steel beam was located approximately 42 inches from the edge of the building and held in place by several steel columns. Other coworkers burned nearly through the columns and angled the burns to direct the beam to fall to the exterior of the building. Once the burns were completed, the employee operating the skid steer attempted to "nudge" the beam to break it free from the columns and send it off the edge of the building. As the employee was "nudging" the steel beam, the skid steer went off the side of the building and fell 27 feet to the ground below with the operator still in it. As the skid steer loader hit the ground, the pistons that operate the lifting apparatus snapped and the lifting apparatus went in the direction of the cab. As that was happening, the employee was partially ejected from the cab, and the lifting apparatus pinned him up against the cab. Rescue crews were summoned and extricated the employee, but he died from internal injuries sustained in the accident a short time later. It was apparent that the seatbelt locking mechanism was missing. Other coworkers told OSHA inspectors that they did not wear seatbelts, while operating the skid steer equipment and management did not require their use. According to coworkers and management, either stop logs or debris piles were used to prevent the skid steers from going off the edge of the building for most of the time. This was the last piece of steel to be pushed off of that floor and the rest of the floor had already been cleaned off. Management told the CSHO that the employee should have made the "nudge" directly in front of one of the columns. The columns protruded approximately 38 inches above the floor. The skid steer drove off the building just to the side of one of the columns.

Keywords: EJECTED, PINNED, CAUGHT BETWEEN, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, FALL, SKIDDER