Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for Massachusetts: Iron Worker Crushed in Collapse of a Telescopic Boom Lift

摘要

On November 21, 2007, a 52-year-old male iron worker, the victim, was fatally injured when a lift's telescopic boom collapsed, crushing him. The victim was working with a co-worker to replace one of the lift's counterbalance valves. At the time of the incident, the lift's boom was in an extended position. The victim had just removed the valve when the boom collapsed, crushing him against the lift's base. The co-worker was away from the immediate work area when he heard a loud noise and went back to the work area and found the victim. The co-worker placed a call to the local police and for emergency medical services (EMS). The local police and fire departments and EMS arrived within minutes. The victim was freed and EMS transported the victim to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Massachusetts FACE Program concluded that to prevent similar occurrences in the future, employers should: (1) Ensure that when working on hydraulic boom lifts that the booms are either in the stowed position or that the booms are supported; (2) Ensure that only qualified repair personnel conduct maintenance and repair work on equipment; (3) Routinely conduct a job safety analysis (JSA) to ensure proper practices and procedures are implemented to complete tasks; (4) Develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive hazardous energy control program, including lockout/tagout procedures, and routinely review and update the program; and (5) Develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive written safety and health program and provide training. Manufacturers of machine components should: (6) Consider including hazard warnings inside the packaging of hydraulic system components.