Incident
scene showing the collapsed steel structure that struck the victim during
demolition. The victim was struck by the steel beam in the center of the photo.
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Industry:
Site Preparation Contractors
Task: Demolition of steel structure
Occupation: Laborer
Type of Incident: Struck by
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Incident Date: June 8, 2015
Release Date: June 7, 2016
SHARP Report No.: 71-147-2016
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Washington
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
In June of 2015, a 52-year-old laborer was crushed
and killed by a falling steel beam. He was helping to demolish a 30-foot-high
steel structure that had supported a piece of machinery when it unexpectedly
collapsed.
The victim was a friend of his employer, who had
hired him and another laborer to assist in a demolition and metal scrapping
project. The employer had been involved in demolition work and scrapping for 40
years. The victim had not previously done demolition work. The employer had
arranged with a food processing plant to demolish the steel structure that had
supported a retired cyclone air separator and then sell the steel for scrap.
The structure was supported by four steel column
legs. It had been moved from its original location and placed on slightly
sloping pavement in the plant’s yard. The structure's legs were of different
lengths, which, combined with the slope, caused it to lean about four feet in
the direction of the slope. The employer and his crew decided to lower it in
the direction of the lean using a rope attached to a forklift. Working from a platform elevated by
the forklift, the victim used a cutting torch to make several cuts to the
structure.
The forklift was repositioned and a rope was
attached to it and rigged to several parts of the metal structure. The victim
then climbed up a couple of rungs on a stepladder and cut through a cross
bracing. As he was doing this, the structure unexpectedly collapsed. It fell in
the opposite direction than was planned. He was crushed under a steel beam and
died at the scene.
Requirements
• Prior to permitting employees to start demolition
operations, you must make an engineering survey by a competent person, of the
structure to determine structural integrity and the possibility of unplanned
collapse of any portion of the structure. You must similarly check adjacent
structures where employees may be exposed. You must have in writing, evidence
that such a survey has been performed. See WAC 296-155-775(1)
• You must conduct demolition of all buildings and
structures under competent supervision, and you must afford safe working
conditions to the employees.
See WAC 296-155-775(5)
Recommendations
• All personnel involved in a demolition project
need to be aware of the types of hazards that are present and the safety
precautions necessary to control these hazards.
• Create a project specific demolition safety work
plan with step-by-step instructions how the work can be accomplished in a safe
manner.
• Inform employees of the elements of the
demolition plan and ensure they conduct their work activities in a safe manner.
Resources
• Demolition requirements, Washington
Administrative Code 296-155 Part S. Demolition, Part S, WAC 296-155
• Demolition Fact Sheet. OSHA Demolition Fact Sheet
OSHA