Entrapment in an Intermodal Cargo-Container Spreader Kills Worker at Seaport Terminal

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

A worker was killed when his head was crushed between structural beams of an intermodal cargo-container spreader as it was being closed during the lubrication of the guide rails. A crew of four employees prepared the spreader for use, with one employee working the crane and the three others lubricating the guide rails with a petroleum-based aerosol spray. The employees lubricating the guide rails had to be within the moving parts of the spreader in order to reach certain areas of the guide rails. At the time of the incident, there was no written standard operating procedure or employee training for the spreader guide-rail lubrication procedure.

Entrapment in an Intermodal Cargo-Container Spreader Kills Worker at Seaport Terminal [PDF 574 KB]