Construction Injury Narrative: Apprentice Ironworker Struck by Dropped Steel Wedge [2022]

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries ; Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  A 25-year-old apprentice ironworker was seriously injured after he was struck by a dropped steel wedge. The apprentice was employed by a structural steel and precast concrete contractor. His employer was a subcontractor erecting the steel structure of a new construction cold storage facility. He had worked for the employer for about two months. On the day of the incident, two ironworkers were working from the basket of a boom lift to install a beam on a column. This procedure generally took them 30 seconds to a minute before they quickly moved on to the next install. The ironworkers were using a steel wedge between the column and beam to help tighten the bolts securing them. One of the ironworkers was removing the wedge, which was under pressure, using a hammer to knock it loose. As he was doing this, the untethered wedge broke free, but he was unable to hold on to it, and it fell approximately 50 feet. At this moment, the apprentice was in the area below getting a bottle of water that was being stored there for workers. As he was bending over to pick up the bottle, the wedge struck him in his upper back near his left shoulder. The apprentice suffered injuries to his shoulder, ribs, and lungs that kept him from working for several months. Investigators found: The employer had not provided workers with a means of securing wedges from falling or being dropped. The employer had not used red caution tape to keep workers out of the area below where the ironworkers were working. There was not a designated water station. The ironworkers did not expect anyone to be working below them because there were no other workers in the area. RECOMMENDATIONS: FACE investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences where workers may be in danger of being struck by dropped objects, employers should: in danger of being struck by dropped objects, employers should: Plan ahead and train: Use red caution tape and/or have a spotter on the ground to keep workers from entering areas where objects may be dropped. Locate employee water stations away from active work areas. Provide safety training to new workers to ensure they understand the hazards associated with the work site. Prepare tools and equipment: Require that wedges and other tools used by workers at heights have lanyards, tethering devices, holsters, buckets and other devices to secure them. Add attachment points to wedges if they do not have them so they can be secured to a tether. Ensure that tethering systems are ANSI/ISEA 121-2018 Dropped Object Prevention Solutions compliant. Secure wedges and other tools, both when in use and not in use. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Environmental Exposure Ferrous Compounds Metal Workers Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident Prevention Exposure Levels Hazards Iron Workers Personal Protective Equipment PPE Protective Measures Risk Factors Safety Education Safety Measures Safety Practices Training Work Environment Workers Worker Safety

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• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)   ; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)  
• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report ; Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064706
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 71-217-2022, 2022 Feb; :1
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Construction injury narrative: apprentice ironworker struck by dropped steel wedge
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e65028372e58c7737d73aabe977d922a17e7e574de907a14647d0cbfd52db004da158d13aade045beb573a75307346bdb9ece7d54c8112099ce4467851e8ae88
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/229117/cdc_229117_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 275.38 KB ]