Incident summary: An employer’s job hazard analysis was of little value to a crew member who suffered fatal head injuries during a dangerous job because the analysis was written in English but the worker spoke only Spanish.
What happened: In order to raise a wooden beam that was 22 feet long by 22.5 inches wide by 3.5 inches thick, two crew members positioned two aerial lifts about 10 feet apart and placed the beam broadside on top of the guardrails for each of the lifts. They didn’t secure the beam to the guardrails.
The beam was located about 6.5 feet above the ground when one of the workers began to climb into the basket for one of the aerial lifts. As he was ascending to the basket, he lost his balance and fell to the floor. The unsecured wooden beam tumbled off the guardrails and landed on the head of the man who’d fallen to the ground.
The other employee called to his supervisor, who dialed
9-1-1, and rushed over to administer CPR to the stricken crew member. By the time emergency responders arrived, however, the man was already dead from his severe head injuries.Findings: Neither one of the workers had been trained on the proper operation of aerial lifts. Although the employer had conducted a job hazard analysis prior to the task, neither the victim nor his coworker had read the analysis because it was written in English and they spoke only Spanish. Plus, the employer’s accident prevention program, which included a checklist on aerial lift safety, was available only in English.
Had the workers been aware of the hazards of the task, they would’ve used a forklift, a crane, or some other device to raise the wooden beam.
(From the Oct. 15, 2024, issue of Safety Alert for Supervisors. To start your no-obligation trial subscription to the publication right now, please click here.)