Bulldozer Operator Crushed by Bulldozer During Construction of Oil Exploration Island - Alaska [state report]

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Alaska Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation Project (Alaska FACE) ; Alaska. Division of Public Health. Section of Epidemiology. Occupational Injury Prevention Program
• Description:
  A 49-year-old male bulldozer operator (the victim) was crushed to death while compacting earthen fill with a bulldozer during the construction of an oil exploration island. The victim was operating the bulldozer on level ground, alternately in forward and reverse at half throttle. With the blade completely down, the victim presumably shifted the transmission control lever to or toward neutral. The transmission may have been partially disengaged, but not fully in neutral. Assuming the bulldozer transmission to be in a stable neutral position (and without shifting the transmission control safety lever into the neutral lock position), the victim exited the cab on the right side, and stepped down onto the track of the bulldozer to give directions to a truck driver. Investigative information suggests that at this moment the transmission may have slipped back into the first gear of reverse, causing the bulldozer to move suddenly in reverse. As a result, the victim was pulled between the underside of the fender and the top of the track cleats. As the bulldozer continued in reverse, the victim was fatally crushed beneath the track cleats. NIOSH investigators concluded that, in order to prevent future similar occurrences, employers should: 1. ensure that mobile equipment is not left unattended unless all precautions necessary to prevent motion have been taken 2. ensure that compliance with safe work procedures are enforced through frequent inspections and observation of employee work habits 3. ensure that employees receive regular training that addresses safe work procedures 4. consider installing two-way radios inside the cabs of trucks and heavy equipment so that operators can communicate without leaving their cabs. Additionally, equipment manufacturers should: 5. consider equipment engineering designs and controls to prevent machine-related injuries 6. develop and affix appropriate safety signs inside the cabs of bulldozers and other heavy equipment, listing necessary precautions.
• Subjects:
  • Accident Prevention
  • Accidents
  • Accidents, Occupational
  • Construction Industry
  • Occupational Exposure
  • Occupational Health
  • Occupational Injuries
  • Safety
  • Safety Management
  • Staff Development
  More +
• Keywords:
  • Accident-analysis
  • Accident-potential
  • Accident-prevention
  • Accidents
  • Injuries
  • Injury-prevention
  • Safety-education
  • Safety-equipment
  • Safety-practices
  • Safety-measures
  More +
• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Construction
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE92AK013
• 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:
  7 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Bender, Thomas R. ; Helmkamp, James C. ; Klatt, Michael L ; Manwaring, Jan C.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20026864
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 92AK013, 1992 Jul ; :1-7
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1992
• Performing Organization:
  Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  23 - Construction - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  1991/09/30
• End Date:
  2006/08/31
• Resource Number:
  FACE-92AK013 ; FACE-92-13
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/169135/cdc_169135_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 33.63 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4bf9a12d262be64ef2695e2c3347db43c6e8613e8c9433d2e46b621c304938581fd5f350e2f4a7f86af48eca749e7c4c24a52f1441100dc8c85d7d3ed921f239