OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14215495
WESTVACO CORP., TIMBERLANDS DIVISION
ADAMS RUN, SC—
Event description
OVERCOME BY HEAT AND FIRE WHILE FIGHTING A FOREST FIRE
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1, A MEMBER OF A CREW FIGHTING A FOREST FIRE, WAS ASSIGNED THE TASK OF CUTTING A FIRE LINE WITH A CATERPILLAR D-6 TRACTOR. EMPLOYEE #1 DROVE THE TRACT OR INTO SOME HIGH BRUSH, WHERE THE ENGINE QUIT ON HIM. HE RESTARTED THE ENGINE A ND TRIED TO BACK THE TRACTOR OUT OF THE BRUSH. HE APPARENTLY TRIED TO BACK UP TO O FAST AND THE PLOW HE WAS TOWING JACKKNIFED. THE EMPLOYEE APPARENTLY PANICKED, JUMPED FROM THE TRACTOR AND TOOK OFF RUNNING. HE WAS FOUND A SHORT WHILE LATER. HE DIED OF SMOKE INHALATION AND EXPOSURE TO HIGH TEMPERATURES.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 34 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 417
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.