MECHANIC DIES AFTER BEING CRUSHED UNDER ELECTRICAL CABINET AT A FROZEN FOOD
MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN NEW JERSEY
A 62-year-old male mechanic died after being crushed by a 993.5-pound electrical cabinet he was working on tipped
over. The incident occurred
in a
decommissioned equipment storage
area of a frozen food
manufacturing facility. On the day of the incident,
the victim was removing salvageable equipment from
a nonworking electrical cabinet,
when it tipped over and
crushed him between the floor and the cabinet.
The victim died less than
an hour later from compressional asphyxia combined with
chest and cervical spine injuries.
Contributing Factors:
·
Rusted/deteriorated leg supports
·
Unit not anchored to wall
NJ FACE investigators recommend that these
safety guidelines be followed to prevent similar
incidents:
·
A safety and health plan based on a job hazard analysis should be developed by the employer and followed where
workers are assigned tasks.
·
Prior to
working on any object with a potential tipping hazard,
proper support and structural integrity should be ensured.
· Any object with a potential tipping hazard should
be adequately anchored to
a permanently fixed point, such as
wall or column.
INTRODUCTION
In winter 2015,
NJ
FACE staff was notified of the
death of a 62-year-old male mechanic who
was
killed after a
993.5-pound nonworking electrical
cabinet he was working on tipped over. The incident occurred
in a frozen food manufacturing plant
in northern NJ. The victim had worked
for the company for approximately 25 years.
An NJ FACE
investigator contacted the OSHA Area
Office and conducted a
concurrent investigation. Additional
information was obtained from the
medical examiner’s report, death certificate, and
police report.
The incident
site was the decommissioned equipment storage area of a frozen
food manufacturing plant located
in northern NJ. The employer was a large food manufacturer with
multiple locations; this specific
plant’s distribution was mostly the northeastern United States.
Seventy-five permanent workers were employed
at this location (10,000 employees world-wide). Food was prepared
on site, frozen, boxed, and then
shipped.
On the day of the incident, the victim arrived at 3:00 am
for his shift. In addition to his normal duties as a mechanic, he was tasked with removing
any salvageable parts from a large
electrical cabinet. The cabinet measured
61-inches-wide, by 87-inches- high, by 12.5-inches-deep,
and weighed 993.5 pounds (see Figure 1). The cabinet was located
in a
section of the plant reserved
for storage of decommissioned equipment. The company had been recently sold, and the new owner decided to scrap all the equipment in this area. Employees
were assigned to remove working
parts to be used as
possible replacement/spare parts
for equipment still in service.
Near the end
of his shift, the victim was
working alone removing electrical circuit
boards and other components from the cabinet. To reach
some of the higher components
inside the cabinet, he had to stand
on the bottom shelf. Although
there were no witnesses, it is believed (based
on his position underneath the cabinet) that while he
was standing on the bottom shelf
and removing components,
the cabinet tipped over and trapped
him underneath as it
crashed to the ground (Figure
2). The plant safety manager heard the noise of the crash and immediately ran over and, unsuccessfully,
tried lifting the cabinet off
the victim. He then radioed for
help and five employees rushed to the scene. One employee called 9-1-1 while another drove a
forklift over to help free
the victim. The forks were
placed under the electrical
cabinet, two workers and the
safety manger stabilized the cabinet on the forks while the other worker
pulled the victim free. Two of the workers immediately began to administer CPR. Police and EMS arrived and
the victim was transported to
the hospital,
where he was pronounced dead on arrival due to
compressional asphyxia
along with severe chest and spine
injuries.
FIGURE 1: Front view of electrical cabinet upright.
FIGURE 2. Incident scene; cabinet fell forward crushing
the victim underneath.
RECOMMENDATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
Recommendation
#1: A safety and health plan based on a job hazard analysis should be
developed by the employer and followed where workers are assigned tasks.
Discussion: Employers should conduct a job hazard analysis, with the participation
of employees, of all work
areas and job tasks. A job
hazard analysis should begin
by
reviewing the work activities for which the
employee is responsible, and the
equipment that is needed.
Each task is further examined for mechanical, electrical, chemical,
or any other
hazard the worker may encounter. In
this case, it was observed
by
the police, OSHA,
and FACE staff that the metal
feet that supported the cabinet were rusted and
had deteriorated (Figure 3). A thorough pre-task analysis
may
have revealed this issue and therefore could
have prevented the incident.
The analysis may also have revealed
the need
for
a step ladder or stool
for the worker to stand on (rather than the cabinet itself) to reach the higher sections of the cabinet.
A source of
information on conducting a job hazard analysis can be obtained from the US Department of Labor.1
FIGURE 3. Views of cabinet
foot at incident scene.
Recommendation
#2: Prior to working on any object
with a potential tipping hazard,
proper support and structural integrity should be ensured.
Discussion: As per
29 CFR 1910.176(b) (Materials Handling
and Storage), storage of material should not create a hazard,
and should be stable against sliding or
collapse.2 As
noted in Recommendation #1 above,
the metal feet that supported
the cabinet were in poor condition. It
is believed that when the victim
was standing on the cabinet, the feet collapsed
causing the unit to tip over. NJ FACE recommends that all structural components be inspected
prior to starting work, especially if there is a potential
tipping hazard.
Recommendation #3:
Any object with a potential tipping hazard should
be adequately anchored
to a permanently fixed point,
such as wall or column.
Discussion: 29 CFR
1910.176(b) also notes that
items should be secured against collapse. Any free standing object
with the potential for tipping over should be anchored or attached to a wall
or structural column. In
this case, after the
incident the employer secured
the cabinet
to a
concrete column using a nylon
strap attached to eye bolts affixed to the top of
the cabinet (Figure
4). An in-line ratcheting nylon strap
puller was used to tighten and
maintain the tension on strap.
FIGURE 4. Electrical
cabinet anchored to
concrete column using nylon strap.
APPENDIX
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
It is essential that employers obtain accurate information
on health, safety, and applicable OSHA standards.
NJ
FACE recommends the following sources of information which can help both employers
and employees:
Federal
OSHA can provide information on safety and
health standards on request.
OSHA has several offices
in New Jersey that cover the following counties:
Hunterdon,
Middlesex, Somerset, Union, and Warren
counties….................732-750-3270
Essex,
Hudson, Morris, and Sussex counties…..............................................973-263-1003
Bergen and Passaic
counties…........................................................................201-288-1700
Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Camden, Cumberland,
Gloucester,
Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, and Salem
counties…........................................856-596-5200
Web site:
www.osha.gov
The PEOSH Act
covers all NJ state, county, and
municipal employees. Two state
departments administer the Act: the NJ Department
of Labor
and Workforce Development (NJDLWD), which investigates safety hazards, and the NJ Department of Health (NJDOH),
which investigates health hazards. PEOSH has
information that may also benefit
private employers.
NJDLWD, Office of Public
Employees Safety
Telephone: 609-633-3896
Web site:
www.nj.gov/labor/lsse/lspeosh.html
NJDOH,
Public Employees Occupational Safety
& Health Program
Telephone: 609-984-1863
Web site:
www.nj.gov/health/peosh
On-site Consultation for Public Employers
Telephone: 609-984-1863 (health) or 609-633-2587 (safety)
New Jersey Department
of Labor and Workforce
Development, Occupational Safety
and Health On-Site Consultation
Program
This
program provides free advice to private
businesses on improving safety
and health in the workplace and complying
with OSHA standards.
Telephone: 609-984-0785
Web site:
www.nj.gov/labor/lsse/lsonsite.html
The New Jersey State
Safety Council provides a variety of courses on work-related safety. There is a charge for the seminars.
Telephone: 908-272-7712.
Web site:
www.njsafety.org
Other useful Internet
sites for occupational safety and
health information:
· ANSI – www.ansi.org
1. Job Hazard Analysis. US
Department of Labor Publication # OSHA-3071, 1998 (revised). USDOL, OSHA
Publications, PO Box 37535, Washington
DC 20013-7535
2. 29 CFR 1910.176(b); Handling materials—general;
Secure Storage.
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Occupational Safety and Health
On-Site Consultation Program
This
program provides free advice to private
businesses on improving safety
and health in the workplace and complying
with OSHA standards.
Telephone: 609-984-0785
Web site: www.nj.gov/labor/lsse/lsonsite.html
New Jersey State Safety Council
The New Jersey State
Safety Council provides a variety of courses on work-related safety. There is a charge for the seminars.
Telephone: 908-272-7712.
Web site: www.njsafety.org
Internet Resources
Other useful Internet
sites for occupational safety and
health information:
·
ANSI – www.ansi.org
REFERENCES
1. Job
Hazard Analysis. US Department
of Labor
Publication # OSHA-3071, 1998 (revised). USDOL, OSHA
Publications, PO Box 37535, Washington
DC 20013-7535
2. 29 CFR
1910.176(b); Handling materials—general;
Secure Storage.