JCB backhoe Injury

MASE Product Failure Injury Report

Product involved: JCB backhoe

What happened: Person was putting in a sewer line near an existing water supply line.  To ensure the water line did not get hit, one worker would use a backhoe to dig, then the other worker would get into the hole and dig by hand for a few inches.  Person in hole got hit by backhoe bucket when operator tried to move it right, which it did, but then swung left violently. 

 

Injuries: None listed.

Findings: Appears to be a case of out-of-adjustment hydraulic controls.  By the time the unit was inspected, the cover over the foot pedal controls had been removed. The rod that went to the foot pedal control had been recently adjusted.  There is a distinct difference in the rod adjustments on the other valves.  The linkage threads on the crucial valve are clean as are the nut and clevis. Someone even tried to spot weld the adjustment device so that it would not loosen. The foot pedals that control the left-right movement of the boom looked new. The paint was not worn on the pedal.

OSHA/Standard violations: None found

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Racked Aluminum Stepladder Causes Fall

MASE Product Failure Injury Report

Product involved: Type III four-foot aluminum ladder

What happened:  Stepladder positioned facing a wall.  Person working on the ladder.  Ladder became racked, and collapsed when weight of user moved outside of footprint of ladder.

Injuries:  None

Recommendations: Increase stability of ladder to prevent racking and loss of balance.

OSHA/Standard violations?:No

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Grain bin and auger system Fatality

MASE Product Failure Injury Report

Product involved: David Manufacturing Company (DMC)/ The GSI group (Grain Systems)

What happened:  Two men were unloading grain bins.  One man took a load of grain out.  Other worker stated he was going to let sweep auger empty the grain bin out until it wouldn't move any more grain.  First worker returned, helped second worker for short time, then left.  He returned 3-5 minutes later to find his coworker unresponsive on the bin floor.  Auger shaft had fractured, sending the broken metal part shooting at a high rate of speed which impacted the worker in the head.

Injuries: Death

Recommendations: Needed to be guarded, have warnings, “Deadman” switch to control the power with personnel in bin, and interlocks. Also auger could not resist the predictable cyclic stresses acting on the auger - redesign could solve this problem.

OSHA/Standard violations?: No

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