Category: NIOSH

Case report: 71-246-2023
Issued by: Washington State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program
Date of report: Oct. 23, 2023

A 45-year-old construction worker employed by a custom home builder arrived at a site to finish punch list items for a new home. The worker was pressure-washing the home’s driveway when a worker from a landscaping business arrived and parked a medium-duty dump truck at the top of the driveway. The truck was loaded with pallets of small pavers, stepping-stones and crushed rock. The top of the driveway had a slight, hardly visible slope. The driver told the worker he was going to talk with the homeowner to ask where to put the materials. He left the truck unattended. The worker continued to pressure-wash the driveway. About six minutes later, the dump truck rolled down the driveway and struck the worker, whose back was toward the truck. No one saw the incident, but the driver, homeowner and project manager heard the truck crash. After they saw the truck in a nearby ditch, they went to the front of the house and found the worker face down on the driveway. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene. Investigators found that the dump truck was parked in first gear; the emergency brake was set but did not work; and the truck was being leased from another landscaping business owner, who did not have the required annual Department of Transportation commercial motor vehicle inspection done on the truck and knew the emergency brake did not work.

To help prevent similar occurrences, employers should:

• Request subcontractors to show current maintenance and safety inspection records, including annual DOT inspection stickers, for any commercial vehicles they own or lease that will be used on the construction site. Do not allow unsafe vehicles to drive onsite.
• Advise site owners to ask other contractors they hire directly to show safety inspection records for any commercial vehicles before they drive onsite. Emphasize the need to prevent hazardous vehicle rollaways.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Case report: #22KY046
Issued by: Kentucky State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program
Date of report: June 7, 2023

A 44-year-old demolition worker was removing roofing components from a former auto dealership. He had worked for his employer for five days. The worker was on the building’s roof when he stepped backward and onto a skylight, which broke under his weight. He fell about 19 feet and landed on a concrete floor. Local fire department personnel arrived in response to a 911 call and began CPR. Emergency medical services arrived a short time later. The worker died at the scene. Cause of death was listed as blunt force injuries to the head, torso and extremities. The demolition company employer stated that the worker was an employee of a subcontractor, and therefore the safety and health responsibilities for the worker fell to the subcontractor. However, investigators determined that the worker, who had not been trained on fall protection, was an employee of the demolition company.

To help prevent similar occurrences, employers should:

• Properly assess the assigned work for recognized hazards (job safety analysis, job hazard analysis, pre-task plan, etc.).
• Provide appropriate fall arrest systems (guardrail systems, covers and personal fall arrest systems) for employees working at height – including working around skylights – with a fall distance of 6 feet or more.
• Consider Prevention through Design to “design out” or minimize hazards and risk.
• Train workers on how to recognize fall hazards associated with the task being performed and the procedures to be followed.
• Provide training in a language that workers can understand.
• Understand their responsibilities for the safety and health of their workers when they are on multi-employer worksites.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Case report: #2019OR01
Issued by: Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program
Date of report: June 29, 2023

Two workers were operating a boom lift on uneven farmland where a music festival had taken place. The lift was being used to remove cables suspending fabric sails that had provided shade. It was on a hillside with its wheels parallel to the slope. The first-stage boom arm was extended about 40 feet uphill, while the counterweight was oriented on the downhill side of the slope. Two safety alarms – a tilt hazard alarm and a crush hazard alarm – had been disabled. The workers were moving the lift perpendicular to the hill slope with the boom arm extended when it tipped over in the downhill direction, catapulting the basket to the ground. The workers received blunt force trauma injuries. Other workers called 911 and attempted to give first aid. Emergency responders arrived within 10 minutes and pronounced the workers dead at the scene. Investigator interviews with sail-installation company employees, former employees and volunteers indicated that the practice of disabling the tilt alarm on lifts had been going on for years – and that management was aware of the practice. A former employee stated that she left the company because of issues with employees disabling alarms. An equipment rental company used in previous years reported that it stopped renting equipment for the event because it found an alarm disabled and an illegal substance on returned equipment.

To help prevent similar occurrences, employers should:

• Ensure, through adequate supervision, that manufacturer instructions regarding equipment operation are followed.
• Provide training and supervision to ensure boom lift operators know not to move the boom lift with the boom extended.
• Maintain and regularly inspect equipment for operational safety.
• Implement pre-task planning for jobs that include varying conditions or environments.
• Train employees to operate equipment safely, verify training completion, and check knowledge and skill level.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication