Fall from collapsing structure or equipment 26 to 30 feet · Avulsions, enucleations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Griffith Steel Erection, Inc, 5211 W 21st N, WICHITA, KANSAS 67209
on — Avulsions, enucleations, affecting the tooth (teeth).
Final narrative
An employee was unhooking a rebar curtain from a crane while at the top of a 28-foot steel wall that they were tied off to when the wall disconnected and folded. The employee fell and struck additional braces and material on the way down, resulting in a fractured jaw and missing teeth.
An employee fell from a steel beam. His fall protection caught him, but the momentum swung him into a concrete block wall. His head struck the wall and he was knocked unconscious, suffering a skull fracture and a brain bleed.
An employee fell from a single story when the employee's work belt was caught on the edge of a man basket. The employee sustained a broken leg and arm.
Two employees were dismantling tube and coupler scaffolding when it collapsed and the employees fell approximately 26 feet to the ground. One employee sustained a fractured left fibula and a fractured right wrist. The second employee fractured both feet. Both employees were hospitalized.
An employee was ascending a tree using climbing equipment. A large hollow space in the tree collapsed causing the employee to fall 30 feet to the ground. The employee was hospitalized for a broken right shoulder and broken ribs.
An employee was on a scissor lift at 30 feet when the lift hydraulics failed and the lift suddenly went straight down. As a result, the employee broke both ankles.
At 7:27 AM, two maintenance workers were working in an aerial lift that was 27 feet off of ground. They were servicing an overhead crane. Another overhead crane ran into the aerial lift, tipping it over. The two maintenance workers were hospitalized with fractures to their backs and other injuries.
An employee was laying bricks from the working platform of a scaffold. Boards gave way and the employee fell 25-30 feet to a dirt floor. The employee suffered a broken heel and a hairline fracture of the hand.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 238120)
An employee fell from a step ladder while reaching for a tie-off point. He impacted the ground, and landed on his bolt bag which contained tools. The employee was hospitalized with fractured ribs, and a lacerated spleen and kidney.
An employee was attempting to lift a steel beam from a horizontal, stacked position to a vertical position using a crane. They had placed two hooks on the east side of the beam on the flange. As the employee was hoisting the crane, the beam began to shift and pulled the employee forward onto the stack. When the material shifted, the hooks released and the material fell, pinning the employee between the two beams. The employee was hospitalized with soft tissue contusions on their proximal right thigh and interior left thigh.
An employee was standing on the surface of a steel beam about two feet wide. He slipped and fell backward, landing on the concrete ground about 20 feet below. The employee sustained a broken pelvis.
An employee was unloading a rebar delivery from a flatbed, 19-wheel trailer. The employee rigged the load with wire rope chokers. The load was picked up 3-4 feet above the trailer deck by a crane. The load began to swing and the employee grabbed onto it to prevent it from being pushed off the trailer deck. The crane continued to lift the load, and the employee let go so the crane did not lift him to the third story. The employee fell approximately 12 feet to the ground below, resulting in a back injury and fractured vertebrae.
An employee was attaching a steel angle plate weighing (approximately 200 pounds) to the end of a structural member (5,000 pounds) and was supported by dunnage. The dunnage was a crane mat (11 inches tall) with a 4x6 board on top of it and it supported five identical members. The main piece was 30.75 feet long, 37.25 feet tall, and 1 food wide. As the employee slid the piece of metal on top of the member to begin attaching it, the entire member began to tip over. The employee went to stop the main piece from tipping over and it landed on his ankle, fracturing it.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.