Employees #1 and #2 were standing on a steel I-beam approximately four feet above the ground. The beam had been welded to two vertical sheets of steel and was being used as a guide to pile drive sheet piling into the ground. The first three sheets went into the ground without difficulty, but the fourth sheet struck something in the ground and caused a resonance through the steel, breaking the welds on the I-beam. Employees #1 and #2 were thrown to the ground and the beam landed on them. Both employees sustained injuries to their legs and back and both were hospitalized for one week.
What went wrong?
The employees were lucky to survive with leg injuries. Had the falling beam struck an employee’s chest or head, it likely would have been a fatal injury.
It’s not specified but can be inferred that the beam’s welds were temporary and were to be removed after the sheet was in place. Although a risky technique in itself, having the employees wear a harness attached to a crane or platform would have prevented their fall and subsequent injury.
Republished from Marine Construction Magazine Issue V, 2022
