Page 6 - TPM Newsletter JAN 2020
P. 6

6                                                                                                                                                                                                              January 2020
         FATAL FACTS



        Laborer Falls 20 Feet from Scissor Li



        SUMMARY
        A 56-year-old laborer died a  er falling 20 feet from a scissor li   in a freezer unit
        of a fruit processing cold storage warehouse.

        The vic  m had been employed for twenty years as a laborer who did a variety of
        tasks at his employer’s fruit processing plant and warehouse. On the day of the
        incident, he was assigned to remove frost buildup from the pipes on the ceiling
        of the freezer unit of the plant’s cold storage warehouse. He used a scissor li
        to access the ceiling and a squeegee to remove the frost. He had done this task
        many   mes.

        The li  ’s entry swing gate was damaged and had been removed for repair. A    The scissor li   gate had been removed and
        metal chain was put in its place. The chain was posi  oned twenty-fi ve inches       replaced with a chain.
        above the pla  orm, at around the height of the mid-rail of the pla  orm’s guardrail.

                                            As the vic  m scraped the frost, it fell onto the li  ’s pla  orm, which became
                                            slippery. A  er about 45 minutes, another laborer removing ice from the fl oor
                                            heard a noise and turned around to see the vic  m on the fl oor. Emergency
                                            responders declared him dead at the scene.

                                            Inves  gators found that the vic  m had fallen through the gap where the gate
                                            had been removed and landed on the fl oor 20 feet below. The li   did not have
                                            lanyard anchorage points.

                                            REQUIREMENTS
                                            Employers must furnish and require employees to use any safety devices and
        Incident scene showing the scissor li   in the freezer   safeguards that are needed to control recognized hazards. All agricultural
          unit of the warehouse. The vic  m was working
         from the elevated li   to remove frost build up on   methods, opera  ons, and processes must be designed to promote the safety
                 the pipes on the ceiling.  and health of employees. See WAC 296-307-045(2).
        Employers are responsible for developing and implemen  ng a training program for operators of aerial li  s. See WAC
        296-869-20025.
        RECOMMENDATIONS
        FACE inves  gators concluded that, to help prevent similar
        occurrences, employers and workers should:

        •   Always operate equipment according to the
            requirements of the manufacturer operator’s manual.
            The operator’s manual for the scissor li   specifi ed that
            pla  orm guardrails and the pla  orm entry gate must
            be in place, in good working order, and the gate closed
            before opera  ng the li  .                             This scissor li   has six lanyard anchorage
                                                                    points. Lanyard anchorage points are
        •   Employers should incorporate the requirements of the     recommended for work posi  oning
            equipment manufacturer operator’s manual into worker             restraints.
            training.

        •   Consider using scissor li  s that, in addi  on to guardrails, are equipped with manufacturer provided anchor points for
            personal fall restraint systems. Anchor points may also be installed by qualifi ed persons under the direc  on of the
            manufacturer or a professional engineer.

        Timber Products Manufacturers Associa  on
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