Worker Crushed To Death by Falling Steel Coil

The following report is the product of our Cooperative State partner and is presented here in its original unedited form from the state. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the individual Cooperative State partner and do not necessarily reflect the views or policy of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

SUMMARY

On April 13, 2005, a 40-year-old male laborer was moving a 5-feet by 9-inch coil of slitted steel, weighing 6600 pounds, when it fell on him. The laborer was in the process of wrapping a chain through the middle of the coil and through a homemade device on the forks of a forklift when the coil tipped over. As the laborer tried to move away from the falling coil, it landed on his left side, breaking his left leg and causing internal injuries. Other workers in the area did not see, but heard the commotion of the falling coil. The plant manager and other workers rushed to aid the laborer who was conscious. They tried to lift the coil of steel off the laborer’s leg, but could not. While one of the workers called emergency services, another used a forklift to remove the coil from the laborer’s legs. Cognizant and using a cell phone, the laborer spoke to his wife while he was waiting for emergency management service personnel to arrive. Emergency personnel arrived and he told them that he was hurting and to get him to a hospital. The laborer was taken by ambulance to the closest hospital in a neighboring state where he died that same day from internal injuries.

Worker Crushed To Death by Falling Steel Coil [PDF 681 KB]