Date of incident: April 2022
Notice of incident number: 2022181350011
Employer: Metal product manufacturer

Incident summary
A worker in a metal manufacturing warehouse was moving a 537.5 kg (1185 lb.), 9.9 m (32 ft. 7½ in.) steel tube using an overhead bridge crane with two hoists. Two web slings, one at each end of the steel tube, connected the tube to the hoists. The sling at one end of the steel tube slipped off the end of the tube, and the tube fell and struck the worker. The worker sustained serious injuries.

Investigation conclusions

Cause

• Steel tube slipped out of web sling. The employer’s safe work procedures state that slings are to be set far enough onto the material to not slip off the end during the loading process. There is no documented standard distance for this. The web sling on the side that fell was placed too close to the end of the steel tube. In addition, when the worker directed both hoists to move using the handheld remote control for the crane, the hoist on that side remained stationary, which contributed to the steel tube slipping out of the web sling.

Contributing factors

• Standing under suspended load. The employer had safe work procedures for all aspects of its operations, including the crane. However, the safe work procedures did not contain information about walking under suspended loads. Workers were verbally instructed never to walk under loads. In this incident, the worker was standing directly under the load when the tube fell.
• Dirty remote control case. The heavy plastic cases on the crane remote controls are subject to being covered in dirt and grease because of the work being done. This makes it difficult to see the buttons and the number on the remote, which identifies the corresponding warehouse bay. The remote controls also do not have any lights to indicate which hoists are engaged. The employer had a pre-use inspection document for the operation of the crane and hoists, but it did not include the remote control. A hazard identification and risk assessment should have been performed to identify hazards, such as the dirt and grease on the remote control case, and to assess the associated risks. The dirty case and the lack of any indicator lights could have increased the likelihood of inadvertent activation of an unintended button.

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