ACCIDENT SUMMARY No. 34
| Accident Type: |
Caught in Machinery |
 |
| Weather Conditions: |
Clear |
| Type of Operation: |
Well Drilling |
| Size of Work Crew: |
2 |
| Collective Bargaining |
No |
| Competent Safety Monitor on Site: |
Yes |
| Safety and Health Program in Effect: |
Yes |
| Was the Worksite Inspected Regularly: |
No |
| Training and Education Provided: |
No |
| Employee Job Title: |
Company Vice President |
| Age & Sex: |
30-Male |
| Experience at this Type of Work: |
Unknown |
| Time on Project: |
5 Hours |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT
Two employees were attempting to adjust the brakes on a backhoe. The victim told the backhoe operator to raise the wheels off the ground with the front bucket and the outriggers, put the backhoe in gear at idle speed and step on the brakes. The victim then crawled under the machine and began to adjust the brakes. There was a 36-inch space from the ground to the drive shaft. Five minutes later another employee discovered the victim limp under the backhoe with the hood of his rain jacket wrapped around the drive shaft. The employee's neck had been broken by the jacket wrapping around the backhoe drive shaft.
ACCIDENT PREVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS
- Before adjusting backhoe brakes, turn off the machine and set the controls in neutral and the brake and cut-off pedals in the uppermost position. Block the wheels, except for the one to be adjusted, as recommended by the operator's manual.
- Train employees to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions associated with their work (29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2)).
- Develop and implement a training program for employees on the proper procedures for adjusting and bleeding backhoe brakes.
SOURCES OF HELP
- Construction Safety and Health Standards (OSHA 2207) which contains all OSHA job safety and health rules and regulations (1926 and 1910) covering construction.
- OSHA-funded free consultation services. Consult your telephone directory for the number of your local OSHA area or regional office for further assistance and advice (listed under U.S. Labor Department or under the state government section where states administer their own OSHA programs).
NOTE: The case here described was selected as being representative of fatalities caused by improper work practices. No special emphasis or priority is implied nor is the case necessarily a recent occurrence. The legal aspects of the incident have been resolved, and the case is now closed.
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