Inspection Detail

Inspection: 313016461 - Barnes Service And Supply, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Fairview Heights Area Office

Investigation Summary

On July 26, 2010, three employees of Barnes Service and Supply, Incorporated, and one contract employee of John Tosh DBA Tosh Farms, were transporting a sixty section load of steel pipe from Barnes Service & Supply, Incorporated to a client in Georgia onto a Fontaine 48 ft flatbed two axle trailer. Employee #1 was operating a Caterpillar 908 Loader (Serial Number CJ30578), Employee #2 was positioned on top of the trailer hand shaking out the sections of pipe, and Employee #3 was operating Yale Veracitor 155 VX Forklift (Serial Number D878V01553F). The pipes were being staged in two stacks of 36 ft wide by 5 ft high. The pipe sections were 20 ft long by 16 in. diameter by .219 in. thickness, each weighing approximately 800 lbs. The contract employee for John Tosh was positioned somewhere between the driver's side cab and front of the trailer. Employee #2 had his back turned rolling out pipe sections. As the contract employee looked up, she was simultaneously struck by three sections of pipe from a height of 11 ft, which rolled over and cleared her by at least 10 ft. However, the fourth section lacked momentum, thereby it pinned, crushed, lacerated and amputated her legs when it fell and rested upon her. Immediately following the incident, the Tosh Truck Driver remained conscious and was rendered assistance by Employee #2. She was transported to Saint Louis University Hospital by helicopter, where she later died due to blunt force trauma and partial amputation to her lower extremities.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, LACERATION, PIPE, LEG, STEEL, PINNED, CRUSHED, STRUCK BY, UNSTABLE LOAD