Worker Falls 16 Feet
Into Concrete Pit

A 57-year-old construction worker with 24 years experience was killed when he fell through plastic sheeting covering a recently-constructed concrete feeder pit. The 58 x 20 x 16 foot deep pit was built for a bio-mass boiler that was being installed at an industrial facility. The footing for the pit was one foot above ground level and the pit was covered with a temporary 2” x 4” frame and plastic sheeting to help the concrete cure. There was no guard railing around the pit for it was to be covered with a permanent cover of heavy wire mesh in a few days.

The worker had just finished a break, and was returning to work,
following his supervisor. There was another concrete footing which the men had to walk around, adjacent to one corner of the new pit. The men walked through this narrow point, stepping across the corner of the pit covered with plastic. The supervisor heard a grunt and turned to see the worker crouched on his knees at the edge of the pit with his arms stretched out on the 2” x 4” frames. The man attempted to get up, then plunged through the plastic into the pit, receiving fatal head injuries. Apparently the man was retrieving something he had dropped on the plastic when he lost his balance and fell forward, or he may have slipped on the icy ground and fell. He was not wearing a hard hat.

#1 The hazardous area around a pit or dangerous opening should be protected with barricades, guard rails, or colored banner tape [CFR 1926.501(b)(4)(ii)].

—Hazards of this type should be protected by a barrier to remind workers and keep others away.

—The employer could have constructed a safe walkway with guardrails across the pit corner.

—The plastic covering was opaque due to condensation, giving a false sense of support.

#2 Employers should train supervisors and workers to work safely around machinery pits.

—Employers should assign site safety to competent people who can recognize fall hazards.

—Employees did not recognize the hazardous condition which existed at this site.

—No protective zone was being observed at this site by workers who routinely were at risk.

#3 Workers should wear a hard hat while in areas where there is danger from impact, or from falling or flying objects [CFR 1926.100 (a)]

—Workers should wear hard hat protection when metal frame construction is present.

—A properly-fitting hard hat could have reduced severe head injury, and saved this man’s life.