Logging Equipment Manager Dies in Helicopter Tail Rotor Strike -- Alaska

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Alaska Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation Project (Alaska FACE) ; Alaska. Division of Public Health. Section of Epidemiology. Occupational Injury Prevention Program
• Description:
  On November 20, 1994, a 43-year-old, male equipment manager (victim) died as a result of walking into the rotating tail rotor of a helicopter at a snow-covered, isolated landing pad, which was serving a logging camp. The equipment manager was in the process of moving from the helicopter to his parked truck to pick-up his personal gear. He had just talked to the pilot about getting a ride to a nearby community. After the pilot told him he would be leaving in about ten minutes, the victim began to walk back along the starboard side of the helicopter boom. He then crossed underneath the boom and walked directly into the tail rotor located on the port side of the boom. The pilot heard a noise and saw the victim lying on the ground. CPR was performed on the victim for approximately 25 minutes. He was then declared dead at the scene. Based on the findings of the epidemiological investigation, to prevent similar occurrences policy makers, regulators, and employers should: 1. conduct a comprehensive review of safety practices related to aviation support activities at remote logging camps. The regulations, policies, and practices regarding "hot refueling" of rotary aircraft at remote sites should also be reviewed. In addition, based on the findings of the epidemiological investigation, to prevent similar occurrences employers should: 2. ensure that, when possible, paths for passengers to and from an aircraft landing pad at a work site are clearly marked with colored flags, cones, or ropes. Safety information should be posted at all sites routinely used as landing pads. 3. ensure that all workers, who may be in the vicinity of aircraft, receive appropriate training (on a regular basis) related to ingress and egress safety, and other aspects of aviation safety related to ground operations.
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Aircraft Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Occupational Injuries Safety Safety Management Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-potential Accident-prevention Air-transportation Injuries Injury-prevention Management-personnel Occupational-accidents Occupational-hazards OSHA Region 10 Safety-education Safety-equipment Safety-measures Safety-practices Training Traumatic-injuries Work-analysis Work-environment Work-practices

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• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Commercial Aviation ; Logging
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE94AK050
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Alaska ; OSHA Region 10
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  5 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20026883
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2014-105970
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 94AK050, 1995 Aug ; :1-5
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1995
• Performing Organization:
  Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  11 - Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  1991/09/30
• End Date:
  2006/08/31
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ca7bee30b43d8f25b9b902b0a526f7afb23e44e30878233f74d065bb582f0cddde2960c8db4f72500f6adbe470ef0ed397556194733acf00e69562e81e52a825
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/169122/cdc_169122_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 34.43 KB ]