Construction Injury Narrative: Spotter Loses Fingertips in Excavator Quick Coupler [2015]

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  California. Department of Public Health
• Description:
  A 45-year-old Hispanic lake maintenance worker, José, died when he fell out of a boat and drowned. He was working alone in the boat cleaning weeds and algae from a lake while his co-workers watched from shore. José could not swim and was not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD). Although he had worked for this employer for ten years, he had not been trained in water safety. What Went Wrong? José was not wearing a PFD (life jacket) and had not received water safety training. José was working alone in the boat. Life rings were not available in the boat or onshore with co-workers. José was using a long pole with a net (skimmer) as an oar. The lake was thick with weeds and algae. What Should Be done? Employers should make sure workers are trained in water safety and provide them with PFDs when working over or near water. Two people in a boat can make it more stable. Life rings should be provided and readily available for emergency rescue operations. Using proper equipment (strong and adequately-sized paddles or oars) will help control and navigate small watercraft safely. Employers should consider implementing an integrated pest management (IPM) program to control weed growth. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Drowning
  • Maintenance
  • Mortality
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Injuries
  • Fatalities
  • Injury prevention
  • Safety practices
  • Drowning
  • Personal flotation device
  • PFD
  • Safety equipment
  • Maintenance workers
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Fact Sheet
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059482
• Citation:
  Richmond, CA: California Department of Public Health, 2015 Aug; :1-2
• Contact Point Address:
  California Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Branch, FACE Program, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, P-3, Richmond, CA 94804
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  Public Health Institute
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  FACE facts: a golf course maintenance worker drowns when he falls from a boat
• End Date:
  20260630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228958/cdc_228958_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 215.99 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:78877636b85f5cd314e658b0eec0b82764cdea474f34493eb0f745e0a9f3252f9a08f2cd46b6370ac5b3243d2128a6e1c74b22598995fcf5ed300fbb2d77bdaa