since 1971. - wmc · a cnc vertical turning lathe • july 2017 - employee was operating a cnc...

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Since 1971.

STRUCK-BY INCIDENTS IN THE WORKPLACE

Wisconsin Safety & Health Conference and Expo 2018

Your presenter

• Leslie Ptak

• Industrial Hygienist

• Compliance Assistance Specialist

• Madison OSHA office

• [email protected]

• 608-441-5388

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Disclaimer• This information has been developed by an OSHA Compliance Assistance Specialist and

is intended to assist employers, workers, and others as they strive to improve workplace health and safety. While we attempt to thoroughly address specific topics [or hazards], it is not possible to include discussion of everything necessary to ensure a healthy and

safe working environment in a presentation of this nature. Thus, this information must be understood as a tool for addressing workplace hazards, rather than an exhaustive statement of an employer's legal obligations, which are defined by statute, regulations, and standards. Likewise, to the extent that this information references practices or procedures that may enhance health or safety, but which are not required by a statute, regulation, or standard, it cannot, and does not, create additional legal obligations. Finally, over time, OSHA may modify rules and interpretations in light of new technology, information, or circumstances; to keep apprised of such developments, or to review information on a wide range of occupational safety and health topics, you can visit OSHA's website at www.osha.gov.

Agenda

• Questions are welcome.

• Questions are important.

• We will be available to answer questions.

• This session will include actual incidents, with employer names removed

Now is a GREAT chance to get YOUR questions answered.

https://www.osha.gov/

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What gets measured gets done

• It means regular measurement and reporting keeps you focused — because you use that information to make decisions to improve your results.

• OSHA measurements on hazards– Most Frequently Cited Standards– Fatality and accident investigation analyses– Severe Injury Report analyses

• OSHA reporting on hazards– Special emphasis programs– Regulations and standards– Compliance assistance, web pages, safety stand-downs,

publications, etc.

Wisconsin Fatal Occupational Injuries 2012 – 2016

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

449

426

393

126

83

65

37

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Struck Fall Caught Electrocution Exposure Fire/Explosion Other

CA

UG

HT

IN

ELEC

TRIC

.

Exposure to substances

Fire/Explosion

Region V Fatalities by Event FY 2004 - FY 2016

STR

UC

K-B

Y

FALL

Other

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Causes of Fatalities, Region 5, FY2016

Struck-by

Falls

Electrocutions

Caught-ins

Poisonings

Microbes

Heat Illness

Burns

Struck by

Falls

Moving an object

Servicing an object

Demolishing an object

Operating an object

Cleaning near object

Motor vehicle accident

Backover

Moving an object

Servicing an objectDemolishing

an object

Backover

Fatal Struck-by Incidents,

by Cause

Region 5, FY2016

Struck-by, not caught-in

• When the injury is created more as a result of crushing injuries between objects, the event is a caught-in event.

• Examples:– Cave-ins (trenching)– Being pulled into or caught in machinery and

equipment (this includes strangulation as the result of clothing caught in running machinery and equipment

– Being compressed or crushed between rolling, sliding or shifting objects such as semi-trailers and a dock wall, or between a truck frame and a hydraulic bed that is lowering.

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What is a struck-by incident?

• Struck-by injuries are produced by forcible contact or impact between the injured person and an object or piece of equipment.

• The impact of the object alone creates the injury.

• Examples:

– Struck-by a flying object

– Struck-by a falling object

– Struck-by a swinging object

– Struck-by a rolling object

For example: Struck-by energies

Gravitational Energy is the energy of position and place, such as:• Raised loads

– A raised load that can shift immediately and quickly in its rigging

– A vehicle at the top of an incline – A motor vehicle in gear– An object at a higher level than the employee

• Demolition operations• Liquids or gases held back by a closed valve

Struck by Energies

Kinetic Energy is energy that a body possesses by virtue of being in motion, such as:

• Rotating tools, such as saws, drills, grinding wheels, etc.

• Kickback from tools

• Vibrating object or an object on a vibrating surface

• Wind

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Struck by Energies

Stored Mechanical Energy is also the energy of position, such as:

• Compressed springs

• Tightly stretched rigging

Struck by Energies

Potential Chemical Energy is energy released in a chemical reaction or absorbed in the creation of a chemical compound:

• A charged battery

• Explosives

• Flammable vapors in an enclosed area (tank)

• Decomposing materials that generate flammable or explosive atmospheres

OSHA’s standards generally align with the hazards they are intended to prevent

• Falls

– Subpart D of 1910 or Subpart M of 1926

• Electrocutions/Arc Flashes

– Subpart S of 1910 or Subpart K of 1926 and PPE

• Caught ins

– Machine guarding and Lockout Tagout

• Struck bys

– ???

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What OSHA standards apply?

• Personal Protective Equipment– Subpart I (all PPE, face, hands, head, feet, etc.)

• Material Handling and Storage– Subpart N (aisle ways, storage, housekeeping,

servicing multi-piece and single piece rims, cranes and derricks, slings, rigging, and powered industrial vehicles)

• Hand and Portable Powered Tools– Subpart P

• General Duty Clause?

A 3 ½ pound plastic bin• January 10, 2015 - A kitchen clerk, was putting dishes away on

the dish rack when a plastic bin fell from the top shelf of the dish rack and struck him on his head.

• The dish rack was 71“ high, and the plastic bin was 15”x 8”x 22” and weighed 3.5lbs.

• The employee was 5'9" tall.

• The employee had some bleeding on the back of his head and was taken to the hospital immediately by management, treated and released the same day.

• The employee needed multiple surgeries to alleviate a medical condition that developed after the incident.

• The employee died on March 11, 2015.

• Citations were iisued for 1910.176(b)

A 150 pound cart

• January 2016

• Employee was performing cleaning operations under the number 3 dump station table, which had a cart on it weighing approximately 150 pounds.

• The victim was vacuuming when the table dropped down causing the cart to fall and strike the victim.

• The victim died at the scene as a result of a skull fracture.

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Tree trimming

• January 2017 – tree trimming

• The owner was limbing a felled tree within the fall-zone of a tree that was being prepared for felling by an employee of the company.

• The tree unexpectedly fell, while the employee was performing a bore-cut on the tree to be felled.

• The received extensive head, neck, shoulder and chest trauma as a result of being struck-by the tree.

Tool kickbacks #2

• October 2006 - Excavation operations

• An employee was cutting concrete pipe with a Stihl concrete saw, when it kicked back and struck him in the neck, killing him.

Tool kickbacks #1

• April 2009 – Trenching and excavating operations

• Employee #1 was cutting cast iron pipe in the trench, using a Stihl chop saw.

• The saw kicked back, the blade striking Employee #1 in the neck. He died due to the saw cutting his trachea and right carotid artery.

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Unloading power poles

• April 2003 - unloading power poles from a trailer

• Employee was preparing to move power poles that were secured to racks on top of a trailer.

• He released four straps that were holding in two 40 foot long wood utility poles when the butt end of one of the poles rolled off the rack.

• This caused the other end of the pole to swing up, striking the Employee in the head, causing fatal injuries.

A stuck forging

• November 2016 • Forge Hammer crew was in the process of removing a

stuck forging from the top die of the hammer. • A six foot steel ring was placed into the bottom die of

the hammer. In the past, the process was to bring the top die of the hammer down to strike the ring in an attempt to dislodge the stuck forging.

• When the top of the forging hammer was dropped on the ring the ring shattered and one of the four pieces projected out.

• This 40 lb. piece of metal struck the 49 year old male forging hammer operator, causing fatal injuries.

A CNC vertical turning lathe

• July 2017 - Employee was operating a CNC vertical turning lathe at a company that manufactures pumping equipment for mining industries.

• Employee was machining an upper bearing housing that was secured to a fixture using threaded push rods, and the fixture was secured in the CNC spindle jaws. The spindle jaws, fixture, and upper bearing housing were rotating around fixed tooling that was machining an inner surface of the bearing housing. The rotational speed was approximately 400 to 500 RPM.

• The upper bearing housing became dislodged from the fixture and then came off the spindle jaws of the CNC machine. The bearing housing came to rest within the CNC enclosure, but the fixture was ejected from the CNC machine after it struck the sliding door/machine guard causing the lower track mechanism to dislodge.

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A CNC vertical turning lathe

• The employer had a documented procedure for machining the upper bearing housing that required the use of both the push rods and clamps, and the employee had been trained on this procedure.

• Employees reported that approximately ten parts had been ejected from CNC fixtures over the past 15 years, but no one had been injured because the machine guarding contained the parts.

• Employee #1 had not installed holding clamps in addition to using the push rods to secure the bearing housing to the fixture.

• Being struck by the fixture resulted in soft tissue damage to the right leg, bone contusions, and a concussion that resulted from the employee striking his head on a pallet as he fell to the floor.

• No citations were issued.

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Straps vs. chains

• October 2015

• Lifting and moving a fabricated steel dump truck turntable assembly that weighed approximately 3,000 lbs. with an overhead crane.

• Two synthetic slings with flat hooks were attached to each side to lift the assembly.

• The load was to be placed on a truck.

4’ x 4’ square of 5/8” steel plateWith 4” angle welded on

Synthetic slings with flat hooks

Straps vs. chains

• The employee was traveling the load to a truck when the load tilted and slid out of the hooks.

• The load struck the floor and slid into the employee, breaking his lower leg and knocking him to the floor.

• The employee suffered broken lower leg (both tibia and fibula) requiring surgery and hospitalization.

• Victim died from a pulmonary embolism while recovering from his injury approximately 3 weeks after the accident.

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Straps vs. chains

• Interviewed employees explained and demonstrated how the load was usually rigged.

• It was always done with two double leg chain slings basketed around the I-beams and hooked back onto the collector rings.

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Straps vs. chains

• The OSHA investigator found that the synthetic slings used by the employee were intended for cargo securement ratchet straps and were not designed for or suitable for lifting.

• While the hooks did have a 5,000 pound rating and a failure rating of 15,000 pound, they aren’t forged and have no means to prevent inadvertent disconnection from the load.

Lifting a tree pit

• February 2014 – Pre-cast concrete manufacturer of a 34,000 pound tree pit.

• Concrete forms were lined with plastic sheeting before the concrete pour to make the casting easier to remove from the forms.

• After the concrete was cured, the tree pit was lifted using an overhead crane with a four-leg sling connected to lifting anchors.

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Lifting a tree pit

• Employees started to remove the plastic sheeting.

• During the lift the concrete failed around three of the four lifting anchors allowing the tree pit to fall approximately 18” down onto the form.

• An employee’s head was positioned beneath the southeast corner of this tree pit when it fell, and he died of massive head trauma.

Why did the concrete fail?

1. Two of the four lifting anchors were located approximately 5 inches from the outer edge of the tree pit.

2. Manufacturer of the lifting anchors requires a minimum edge distance of 7 ¾”.

3. This reduced the load capacity of the lift.

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2. The lifting anchors installed in the tree pit that fell were not reinforced with steel rebar. Rebar had been installed, but not according to the lifting anchor manufacturer’s instructions.

3. The concrete was cured for five hours before the tree pits were lifted, but there was no documentation this was sufficient for developing the required compressive strength for removing tree pits from the form.


4. Rigging the tree pit using a four-leg chain sling overloaded the lifting anchors due to the rigging angles, which amplified tension and shear forces.

5. While the manufacturer of the lifting anchors rated each anchor for a safe working load of 6880 pounds; the applied load resulting from the sling angles was approximately 8500 pounds on each lifting anchor.

Bottle jacks vs. jack stands

• May 2015 - A 25-year old mechanic was working alone inside the maintenance shop of a trucking company.

• He was changing the oil on a 1995 Western Star Semi-tractor. The mechanic had used a bottle jack to lift the semi-tractor off of the ground and removed the front right tire to gain access to the oil pain of the semi-tractor.

*20 ton hydraulic bottle jack

*not the actual bottle jack

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• The mechanic was under the semi working to change the oil when the bottle jack slipped and the semi-tractor fell.

• The semi weighed approximately 18,000 pounds and the mechanic died due to asphyxiation.

• Jack stands were available for use in the maintenance shop but they were not utilized.



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Jack used to lift a forklift

• February 2016 – A road service technician who was performing maintenance and servicing activities on PIVs at host employers

• The employee used an AC Hydraulic A/S hydraulic forklift jack to lift a Hyster propane forklift under the left drive tire approximately 9 inches above the floor.

• He then went under the forklift without installing jack stands to begin repairs.

• Approximately one minute after starting the work, the hydraulic jack dislodged from under the forklift and shot approximately 8' across the floor resulting in the forklift falling to the ground and crushing the employee.

Non – destructive testing

• July 2017 - A 20 year old male employee was performing NDI inspection of 32 foot section of drill pipe joints.

• While placing the x-ray scanning head on the next 32 foot section of pipe joint, the jack supporting the recently inspected 1,500 pound, 32 foot long pipe joint kicked out causing the pipe joint section to fall onto the rack.

• The pipe joint section then rolled pinching the employee's head between the next pipe joint section to be inspected.

• This caused severe head trauma resulting in death.

A Wheel Loader and an S10 Pickup

• January 17, 2014 – A vehicle maintenance and parts recycling shop. Vehicles are stored in the facility yard and parts are pulled on an as-needed basis using a Wheel Loader.

• Two employees were in the process of removing a rear-axle from a Chevy S10 Pickup Truck. Employee #1 was working underneath the pickup truck that was suspended from the forks of a wheel loader.

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A Wheel Loader and an S10 Pickup

• Employee #2 was operating the wheel loader and accidentally bumped the controls, which in turn released the hydraulic pressure that was keeping the forks and the pickup truck elevated.

• The forks and the pickup truck dropped onto Employee #1.

• The injured employee received multiple broken vertebrae. A rod was installed in his back during emergency surgery, and he returned to the hospital post-surgery due to blood clotting in the lungs.

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Engine dismantling & overhead hoist

• December 2015 – Engine dismantler at an auto salvage company

• in the process of removing vehicle suspension parts from a 2007 Toyota Camry engine that weighed about 800lbs.

• The engine was suspended one foot above a work station table for approximately ten minutes prior to the incident occurring.

• Engine was suspended via an 1 ton capacity overhead electrical hoist.

• As the employee was unbolting the suspension parts, the engine unexpectedly dropped subsequently landing on the employees left hand.

• The employee received crushing injuries to the left hand that resulted in multiple lacerations which in turn required surgery and a cast.

Improper weight distribution

• August 2014 - Employee was loading mobile scaffold equipment onto a flatbed trailer parked at loading dock #17.

• The flatbed trailer was 43 feet long by eight feet wide. • An aerial lift and a scissor lift were positioned side by side on the

flatbed trailer. • The employee noticed an improper weight distribution on the

trailer and began repositioning the equipment. • The employee tried to reposition the aerial lift towards the center

of the trailer. The right front wheel of the lift went off of the trailer, causing the entire aerial lift to fall off of the trailer.

• The employee was ejected from the lift basket and was pinned underneath.

• Employee #1 suffered a severe laceration to the femoral artery in his leg and died in the hospital later that day.

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An unstable load of sheet metal

• August 2012 - Employee had been sorting through formed sheets of sheet metal , 121" tall by 32" wide, due to a quality issue he found, and was stacking the rejected sheets onto a rack.

• He then attempted to relocate the rack with 128 sheets weighing approximately 4,000 lbs, using a Lift-Rite Titan series hand pallet truck

• The load became unstable and tipped onto the employee.

• Employee was killed as a result of crushing injuries from sheet metal falling onto him.

An unstable load of trusses

• November 2012 - The employee was attempting to secure a load of trusses to a flat-bed trailer.

• Employee used a forklift to pick up the trusses by the bottom cord to set them on the trailer.

• He got out of his forklift to secure the trusses. After placing the first chain come-along on the north end of the trusses, he went to the south end to place the other chain come-along.

• While installing the second chain come-along the trusses became unsecure and fell off of the forks of the forklift, striking the employee while he was standing on the trailer.

• Employee #1 died on site as a result of crushing injuries to his chest and neck area.

An unstable load of glass

• December 2011 – Employee #1 was attempting to unload glass from a Low Boy A-Frame trailer to take it to a recycling area to be crushed and taken away for disposal.

• Employee #1 was working alone while using a John Deere Front End Loader which had been modified with a fabricated hitch attached to the bucket.

• The trailer carried 10 tons of glass which the employee had already placed there on a previous load. The load caused the parked trailer to sit unevenly at a 4 to 5 degree angle leaning to the left.

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An unstable load of glass

• Employee #1 exited the front end loader to un-strap the load of the glass on the trailer. Due to the angle of the trailer, approximately five (5) tons of glass tipped and fell off the trailer, striking the employee.

• An hour later, Employees #2 and #3 went looking for Employee#1 and found him on a pile of glass lying facing up with 5 tons of glass on him

• The employee suffered crushing injuries to the chest and pelvic area. The employee died as a result of his injuries.

Operator struck-by their PIV

• August 2017 - Temporary employee operating a heavy duty electric pallet truck at a host employer's wholesale distribution and warehouse facility.

• Employee was backing the loaded pallet truck down the V aisle when she stopped to place the load in a perpendicular aisle.

• Employee stepped off the operator platform of the pallet truck while holding onto the steering tiller, and her hand remained on the controls.

• She inadvertently actuated the controls after stepping onto the floor, and the pallet truck ran over her right foot pinning it between the pallet truck and a pallet. Employee had received formal training on the pallet truck by the host employer in August 2017.

• Employee received fractures and soft tissue damage to her right foot.

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Collapsed racking system

• October 2012 – Employee, a material handler, was operating a Raymond narrow aisle stand up forklift, moving pallets of paper.

• He struck a vertical member of the racking system which contained paper stock, causing the racking system and its contents to collapse.

• Employee was killed after he stepped out of the forklift and was crushed by the falling material.

Rollovers - A sloping hill

• February 2014 - The worker was alone pumping milk into his truck at a farm site.

• The truck was parked on the hill sloping down towards the barn with the rear end five feet away from the building.

• The truck weighed approximately 51,000 lbs. when it arrived at the site. An additional 4,700 lbs. of milk was pumped into the vehicle at the site.

• During pumping, the truck was left running and the parking brake was applied.

• Once the pumping was complete, the victim went behind the vehicle to disconnect the power cord and the milk hose attached to the barn. The victim was crushed between the back of the milk truck and the barn.

• No citations were issued.

Rollovers - A slope of 3.5 degrees

• May 2013 – A truck driver waited for his trailer to be loaded.• Employee #1, a truck driver, waited for the trailer of this truck to be

loaded before moving the truck forward approximately eight feet. • He exited the truck and proceeded to close the trailer doors.• He then walked behind the trailer to the dock and requested a

document that he needed to sign. This was a common task performed by Employee #1.

• It was at this time when Employee #1's truck rolled backwards and struck Employee #1, pinning him between the trailer and the loading dock. Employee #1 was killed instantly.

• The autopsy determined that the employee died of multiple blunt force injuries to his torso and an aortic transection.

• The loading dock area had a slope of approximately 3.5 degrees.

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Rollovers - A 25 degree embankment

• July 2016 • The employee was driving a John Deere riding lawn

mower, model X585, down a 25 degree embankment while traveling to an area to be mowed. This was a normal task for him to do.

• The embankment was wet with morning dew, as it was 10:30 in the morning. As he was driving down the embankment at a slight angle the mower started to slip on the wet grass. This caused the mower to slide sideways down the embankment and tip over sideways.

• The mower ended up on top of the employee and the cause of death was crushing thoracic injuries.

Rollovers - A 42 degree slope

• November 2016 The owner of landscape trucking company was operating a John Deere Tractor to aerate a large dirt mound.

• The John Deere Tractor was equipped with a Howard rotavatorattachment to assist with aerating of a large dirt mound. The soil is aerated then run through a soil shredder to sell as pulverized top soil.

• As the owner was aerating the soil mound, the tractor rolled over the sloped edge of the mound. The owner was fatally crushed from the roll over incident.

• The tractor was not equipped with a roll over protective structure. • The slope of the mound where the roll over incident occurred was

14 feet at 42.8 degrees. All sides of the soil mound had a soil berm except for the side where the roll over incident occurred.

• This was a violation of OSHA’s roll over protection (ROPS) requirements.

Approximately 14 feet high

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Blind Spots & Backovers

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Backover #1

• February 2015, the victim, a 36 year old male cable installer, along with two other employees had finished their work shift and returned to the employer’s parking lot.

• At approximately 4:30 P.M., the crew leader returned to the parking lot and dropped off the two other employers.

• One of the employees walked toward the front of the truck while the victim walked toward the back of the truck. As the crew leader was backing up the truck, he inadvertently struck the victim.

• Unaware that he had struck the victim, the crew leader drove away. The following morning a snow plow driver discovered the victim’s body and contacted the police. The victim died as a result of a head injury.

Backover #2

• April 2015 – Interior parking lot• An employee was walking to the warehouse

office• A truck driver pulled out of the dock.• As the truck was leaving the dock the truck driver

had to make an immediate left hand turn onto a roadway. The left turn caused the end of the trailer to swing into the employee’s walking area. The employee was subsequently caught and crushed between the interior block wall and the rear corner of the trailer.

Backover #3

• November 2016

• Driver #1 was uncoupling his tractor from the trailer and had completed the process of disconnecting his air lines and his electrical line and lowering his landing gear on the trailer.

• Driver #2 was in his semi-truck in the parking spot next to Driver #1.

• When driver two started to pull ahead he felt a bump. He stopped immediately, set the truck and trailer brakes, got out of the truck and saw the victim under the drive tandems on the passenger’s side of his truck.

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Backover #4

• October 2017

• A tractor/trailer combination did not have the brakes properly set, causing the vehicle to roll away from the building and into a refrigeration trailer across the parking lot.

• The refrigeration trailer parked parallel to another refrigeration trailer and the employee was in-between the two trailers

Runovers – Van was still in gear

• December 2012 – A driver for an assisted living facility

• Driver #1 had transported a resident to an appointment and was alone when he drove into the parking lot of a business.

• Employee #1 got out of the 2008 Ford E350 van while it was still in gear.

• The van began to roll away and Employee #1 ran next to it to try to stop it.

• Employee #1 fell and became caught underneath the van.

• Employee #1 died shortly after as a result of internal trauma of the chest.

Runovers – Checking the transmission

• July 2015 - checking the transmission fluid level in a 1995 Nissan pickup truck. The truck was running.

• The truck was parked on a mostly level parking lot located at the employer's business address. The truck began to roll away from him.

• The employee ran to the side of the truck and opened the drivers' side door in an attempt to reach the brake, but he was knocked down and run over by the truck. The employee drove himself to the Beloit Memorial Hospital where he was first admitted and then released, and he died at home on August 7, 2015.

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What OSHA standards are needed?

• Motor vehicle safety• Pedestrian traffic• Cell phone use• Back over protection• Demolition• Tree trimming• Updated Material Handling & Storage• Updated Hand and Portable Powered Tools• Etc???

Pre-planning is essential to avoid struck bys

A Rose by any other name…

• Job Hazard Analysis (JHA)

• Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

• Task Safety Analysis (TSA)

Benefits of a JHA

• Organized, systematic approach to ID hazards

• IDs hazards, causes, and corrective actions.

• Involves employees – increase their awareness

• Standardizes operations based on acceptable safe practices

• Documents process to aid in:– Accident investigation/analysis

– Training

– Accountability

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Benefits of a JHA

• Create JHAs for routine tasks

• Create JHAs for non-routine tasks

• Create JHAs when an unexpected task arises

• Breaks down tasks as to their hazards, not the OSHA standards that are already “on the books.”

United States of OSHA

Any questions?

KEEP CALM

SAVE LIVES

AND

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Your presenter

• Leslie Ptak

• Industrial Hygienist

• Compliance Assistance Specialist

• Madison OSHA office

• [email protected]

• 608-441-5388

Since 1971.