Employee #1 was working with a crew of five other employees performing pile-driving operations. Two different phases of the operation were in progress at the same time: pile hammering and material handling (preparing sheet piling for hammering).
Employee #1 was operating the control panel on the vibrating hammer when he was struck by a falling piece of sheet piling that was being handled by a setup crew for the next pile to be driven. The piece of sheet pile was thought by the crane operator to be connected to the shackle clamp for a placement lift. It was actually prepared for a separation lift from a stock pile.
The 35-foot piece of sheet piling, which weighed 1,200 pounds, slipped out of its temporary lifting device, causing the piling to free-fall and strike Employee #1 on the head. He died from severe head injuries.
What went wrong?
The report stated that cause of the accident was a misjudgment of the crane operator, but the responsibility rests with the foreman, lift supervisor or safety officer—or with the contractor if there wasn’t anyone charged with monitoring safety conditions.
Republished from Marine Construction Magazine Issue V, 2022
