Sewer Worker Killed
By Jet / Vac Machine

In August 1999, a 29-year-old male public works employee died when he was struck by the nozzle of a high pressure water hose. Two employees were doing routine cleaning of the sanitary sewer line using a combination jet/vac truck equipped with a water-powered hose and nozzle. Depending on the size and type of sewer line, a steel nozzle weighing 10-12 pounds, is placed on the end of the hose. The steel nozzle controls the rotation to clean the sewer walls. In this incident a 1-inch steel nozzle was used. High water pressure allows the nozzle to propel the hose forward in a rotating manner to clear obstructions in the sewer line. The nozzle somehow came back up through the manhole and struck the victim in the head. He had worked for the city for a year and had completed over 200 sewer cleaning jobs.

The co-worker was at the next manhole some distance away, and not in visible sight due to a ravine and landscape between the two positions. He said that as the sewer cleaning was in process, he heard the nozzle approaching his end of the sewer line, indicating there were no obstructions in the line, and radioed the victim. After the victim started reeling the hose back to the truck, the co-worker heard the truck idle down and knew that the hose was back at the start of the sewer line. The victim radioed the co-worker to confirm that he was shutting the unit down. The co-worker then heard the truck idle back up to operating speed, heard boys screaming, and knew something had happened. Upon arriving at the truck, he found the victim lying by the manhole with massive head injuries. The nozzle had somehow shot back up through the manhole and struck the victim in the head. Bystanders reported they heard something explode from the back of the truck, saw the hose spraying water into the air and the victim lying on the street, and immediately called 911. The victim was unconscious when city rescue arrived and remained unconscious until he died two days later. The operating system of the jet/vac was inspected and observed to be in good working condition.

• Why the victim powered up the truck again is unknown. He may have been trying to clean the manhole area itself, or simply exhausting remaining water in the tank.
• Review sessions should emphasize that equipment should only be used following the manufacturer's recommended procedures.

2. Safety issues should be re-emphasized periodically during staff meetings.

• Training was provided on the sewer cleaning process.
• However, employees should be reminded of the importance of safe work practices and the dangerous nature of using high pressure equipment .