Shaky Platforms No Place for Workers

Standing on a pile of stacked rounded steel bars proved to be a deadly decision for a worker. The worker climbed onto the pile in a warehouse in order to attach a sling so a crane operator could remove bars from the pile.

While the worker was moving on the pile, one of the bars from higher up started rolling, causing a fatal blow to the worker’s head.

Why did it happen?

Investigators found some rounded steel bars of different diameters were not firmly settled into grooves in the cargo pile, making them unstable.

They also determined that the victim failed to check the condition of the pile before stepping onto it and had not receiving training on hazards associated with cargo piling work.

Although similar work was taking place daily, no operations manual had been repaired.

Info to go:

Read about another fatality involving movement of unsecured pipes, and what you can do to prevent such incidents, at https://hss.state.ak.us/dph/chems/occupation_injury/reports/docs/99ak014.htm