Accident: 14294664 - Struck And Killed By Aircraft Propeller

At 6:20 p.m. on February 21, 1999, Employee #1 was at the aircraft parking area north of the terminal building of a company providing servicing of private and corporate aircraft at Dulles International Airport. He was preparing to direct a single engine Piper Saratoga private aircraft from its parking place across the tarmac to the proper ramp leading to a runway. Prior to the aircraft starting to move, Employee #1 walked into one of the spinning propellers. The blade struck the left side of his head in two locations, decapitating him. Employee #1's left arm was also amputated at the shoulder.

clearance, aircraft, aircraft propeller, struck by, head, decapitated, arm, amputated, work rules, inattention

Accident: 950428 - One Killed, One Injured In Fuel Tank Explosion

Employees #1 and #2 were dismantling a 10 ft by 17 1/2 ft gasoline storage tank using acetylene cutting torches when the tank exploded. Shrapnel from the tank decapitated Employee #1 and seriously injured his coworker. Employee #2 is currently at the University of Virginia Burn Center, and is not expected to survive. The tank had not been vented or purged, nor had the level been checked.

construction, storage tank, decapitated, flying object, explosion, work rules, struck by, dismantling, acetylene torch, cutting and burning

Accident: 790428 - Killed When Run Over By Railroad Car

At approximately 4:30 a.m. on January 15, 1997, Employee #1, a switchman, was riding on the back of a locomotive at a sugar beet processing facility in Nyssa, OR. He was standing on a 14 1/2 inch by 32 inch grated platform that was located directly over the railroad track. The employee hooked up one rail car that was loaded with coke, climbed back on the platform, and signaled the engineer to go ahead. The locomotive had traveled about 107 feet when the engineer noticed that Employee #1 was no longer standing on the platform. He stopped and found the switchman next to the rail tracks behind the coke car. Employee #1's head and arm had been amputated when he was run over by the railroad car.

railroad car, head, riding on equipment, run over, arm, work rules, amputated, fall, decapitated

Accident: 14243075 - Decapitated When Truck Crane Overturns

At approximately 9:45 a.m. on June 17, 1996, Employee #1 arrived at a site with a JLG 1500 JBT boom truck crane. He was planning to load some materials onto the bed of another truck so they could be transported to another part of the site for installation. During the initial lift, the truck crane flipped over. Employee #1, who was operating the boom from the exterior control platform just behind the cab on the passenger side of the truck, struck against an electrical transformer box that was adjacent to the truck at curbside. He was decapitated by the impact.

construction, truck crane, truck boom, overturn, struck against, decapitated

Accident: 14415889 - Decapitated By Manure Spreader

Employee #1 had entered the truck bed of a manure spreader to perform a cleaning operation. The truck's PTO was left engaged, allowing the spreader to continue to operate. Employee #1 became entangled in the rear portion of the manure spreader, where beater bars (propeller-type blades) chop manure. Employee #1 was decapitated. Although the owner's manual and warning stickers prohibit this action, it was common practice for employees who were cleaning the spreader to enter the truck bed while the equipment was running.

agriculture, work rules, entangled, lockout, decapitated, head, power take-off, cleaning