Laborer, Pipefitter, and Utility Foreman Crushed by Falling Block Wall – Tennessee

SUMMARY

On April 18, 2013, a 24-year-old Hispanic laborer and a 37-year-old Hispanic pipefitter were crushed by a falling block wall when it failed; they died immediately of their injuries. A 46-year-old utility foreman was also injured in the incident. At the time of the incident, the laborer was applying caulking to the expansion joints of a block wall, and the pipefitter and the utility foreman were installing piping for the building’s sprinkler system in a trench next to the block wall. A wind gust caused the block wall to fall onto the laborer, pipefitter, and utility foreman. The project superintendent called 911, and emergency medical services were dispatched and arrived at the incident within 4 minutes. The laborer and pipefitter were pronounced dead at the scene, and the utility foreman was airlifted to a local hospital.

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

Occupational injuries and fatalities are often the result of one or more contributing factors or key events in a larger sequence of events that ultimately result in the injury or fatality. NIOSH investigators identified the following unrecognized hazards as key contributing factors in this incident:

• Deviation from engineering drawings
• Inadequate inspection of rebar placement
• Inadequate bracing for the block wall
• Wall height extending too far above the bracing
• Worker proximity to unbraced block wall
• Lack of competent person to monitor wind speed
• Inadequate training related to masonry wall safety

RECOMMENDATIONS

NIOSH investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should:

• • Ensure that employees follow the engineering/architectural drawings during building construction and obtain engineering approval before plan changes are made.
  • Develop and follow a masonry wall bracing plan, train employees on proper masonry wall bracing, and ensure masonry walls are properly braced throughout the project.
  • Develop and implement a restricted/limited access zone.
  • Train workers on the hazards of working around unsupported masonry walls.
  • Assign a competent person trained to monitor wind speeds.
  • Schedule work tasks to limit exposure of nonessential workers to hazards posed by masonry walls under construction.

Laborer, Pipefitter, and Utility Foreman Crushed by Falling Block Wall—Tennessee [PDF 1,639KB] Report Visual Extension [1,435 KB] Infographic [PDF – 3 MB] en español [PDF – 4 MB]