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Inspection Detail
Inspection: 313179178 - Burlington Northern Santa Fe (Bnsf)
Inspection Information - Office: Eau Claire Area Office
Site Address:
Burlington Northern Santa Fe (Bnsf)
3900 E. 2nd Street
Superior, WI 54880
Mailing Address:
2500 Lou Menk Drive Aob-3, Ft. Worth, TX 76131
Union Status: Union
SIC:4491
NAICS: 488320/Marine Cargo Handling
Inspection Type: Accident
Scope: Partial
Advanced Notice: N
Ownership: Private
Safety/Health: Safety
Close Conference: 03/15/2011
Emphasis: L:Longshore, S:Fall From Height
Case Closed: 12/16/2011
| Type | Activity Nr | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accident | 100340876 |
| Violations/Penalties | Serious | Willful | Repeat | Other | Unclass | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Violations | 2 | 3 | 5 | |||
| Current Violations | 2 | 3 | 5 | |||
| Initial Penalty | $12,600 | $0 | $0 | $18,000 | $0 | $30,600 |
| Current Penalty | $11,800 | $0 | $0 | $15,700 | $0 | $27,500 |
| FTA Penalty | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| # | Citation ID | Citaton Type | Standard Cited | Issuance Date | Abatement Due Date | Current Penalty | Initial Penalty | FTA Penalty | Contest | Latest Event | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 01001 | Serious | 19170048 A01 | 03/16/2011 | 12/15/2011 | $6,300 | $6,300 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 2. | 01002 | Other | 19170048 G | 03/16/2011 | 12/15/2011 | $5,500 | $6,300 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 3. | 01003 | Other | 19170048 I02 | 03/16/2011 | 12/15/2011 | $5,500 | $6,300 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 4. | 01004 | Serious | 19170048 J03 | 03/16/2011 | 04/11/2011 | $5,500 | $6,300 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 5. | 01005 | Other | 19170112 B01 | 03/16/2011 | 05/16/2011 | $4,700 | $5,400 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement |
Investigation Summary
At approximately 6:15 a.m. on December 1, 2010, Employee #1 was assisting a coworker with the thawing of arc gates, which would allow frozen taconite pellets to feed onto a shuttle conveyor system at Station Number 24. The conveyor system was loading the pellets into a cargo ship at a material handling terminal. When taconite facility employees thaw the arc gates, they put a shuttle control switch into the "local" position so a ship loader would be unable to control movement of the conveyor shuttle from the remote ship loader's station. Employee #1 stepped up onto the shuttle conveyor framework to get closer to an arc gate with a hand-held propane torch. However, before he stepped onto the shuttle structure, he accidentally switched the shuttle conveyor control into the "remote" position, but was unaware of it, since the indicator light was burnt out. This gave another coworker, the ship loader, control of the shuttle conveyor movement. While Employee #1 was standing on the shuttle structure, the ship loader moved all 16 shuttle conveyors approximately 3 ft in a reverse direction. This movement of the shuttle conveyor caught and trapped Employee #1 in an approximate 7 in. wide space between the shuttle structure and a small fixed elevated working platform, where a coworker was standing and also thawing the arc gate with a separate propane torch. The coworker attempted to help Employee #1, but the forces of the conveyor system and the platform on his body asphyxiated him. The factors that contributed to the event included a failure to lock out the conveyor shuttle, an unguarded moving conveyor adjacent to the danger zone, powered conveyors started before employees were cleared of the conveyor and an inoperable safety device.
Keywords: ASPHYXIATED, CAUGHT BY, LOCKOUT, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CONVEYOR, SHIP, CONTAINERIZED CARGO, ELEVATED WORK PLAT, UNGUARDED, MACHINE--MISC
| # | Inspection | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 313179178 | Fatality | Asphyxia | Occupation not reported |