OROVILLE, Calif. - A worker was injured in an industrial accident at the Oroville Dam spillway project.
The incident was reported at 3:24 a.m. Tuesday from the spillway area of the Oroville Dam. The area is under repair after the spillway was damaged by water releases in February.
Erin Mellon, Communications Advisor with the California Department of Water Resources, confirmed a contract worker was injured in a heavy equipment accident.
Mellon said the worker was operating an excavator, removing debris from the Feather River at the base of the spillway. An adjacent excavator struck the cab of the first excavator, injuring the man inside. The injured worker was taken by helicopter to Enloe Medical Center in Chico.
Mellon said as of 8:15 a.m., the worker was being prepared to be released from the hospital.
The worker is employed by the Dutra Group, a subcontractor on the spillway repair project. The worker's name was not released.
Harry Stewart, the chief operating officer for the Dutra Group, said the worker had been released from the hospital and is recovering well. Stewart said the worker hit is head during the incident but is expected to return to work by next week.
As far as future safety practices for employees working on the Oroville Dam, Stewart said the Dutra Group has a full, comprehensive safety program that addresses each and every potential incident that every employee is trained on.
"Specific to Oroville, we conduct a full hazard analysis and identify all the activities which may have safe hazards associated with them," said Stewart. "[Then] identify mitigation measures and go through a pretty extensive training with all of our personnel."
The Dutra Group officials said they are not sure exactly who is at fault at this time, but a full investigation will be conducted per standard protocol.
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OROVILLE, CA (CBS13) – A construction worker near the Oroville Dam was injured while working on removing sediment, officials say.
The incident happened early Tuesday morning. The California Department of Water Resources says two excavators were working along the Feather River when one of them swung their bucket and struck the other’s cab.
Medics were called to the scene and the cab’s operator was soon airlifted to the Enloe Medical Center in Chico.
Officials say the worker is conscious, alert and is expected to be released from the hospital soon.
Work continues at the Oroville Dam and the spillway. Crews have begun demolition work on the lower chute of the damaged spillway.
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BUTTE COUNTY — A man working at the Oroville Dam was injured by heavy equipment early Tuesday morning.
The man was hurt while working on an excavator that was removing sediment from the Feather River as part of the repair work on the damaged spillway, according to Erin Mellon with the Department of Natural Resources. Mellon said about 3:30 a.m., one excavator swung a bucket into another excavator.
One worker was hurt. Mellon said the worker was on track to be released from the hospital on Tuesday morning, and they are grateful that he was not seriously injured.
Mellon said safety remains their number one priority.
The accident is not expected to delay the work schedule at the spillway.