# Worker killed trouble shooting HVAC



## ibew415 (Mar 23, 2014)

This story is a little old but, still relevant. remember LOTO

http://laramielive.com/laramie-man-dies-after-accident-at-state-liquor-warehouse/


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

ibew415 said:


> This story is a little old but, still relevant. remember LOTO
> 
> http://laramielive.com/laramie-man-dies-after-accident-at-state-liquor-warehouse/


Man ,, God bless him...


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## ibew415 (Mar 23, 2014)

ibew415 said:


> This story is a little old but, still relevant. remember LOTO
> 
> http://laramielive.com/laramie-man-dies-after-accident-at-state-liquor-warehouse/


the news article did not say, but he fell into a fan driven by a 100HP motor.....is the story I heard from other tradesmen


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

Falling into a fan unit ? How does that happen ?


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

This was preventable. All they had to do was construct a tower crane on the major street next to the warehouse, thereby interrupting all traffic for the duration, and suspend a lanyard so the worker had a place to tie off his safety harness. Some employers are cheap skate villans.


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## ibew415 (Mar 23, 2014)

I heard it was some kind of rooftop unit with an access door.


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## 360max (Jun 10, 2011)

...had a third year apprentice in our locals jurisdiction electrocuted to death about 3 weeks ago, was on lift and hit 277v wire, could not get off it. RIP Brother!


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## ibew415 (Mar 23, 2014)

360max said:


> ...had a third year apprentice in our locals jurisdiction electrocuted to death about 3 weeks ago, was on lift and hit 277v wire, could not get off it. RIP Brother!


amen, RIP brother


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

it musta been one of those big RTU's you can walk inside. Here's the accident report from osha:



> Summary Nr: 200981215	Event: 06/13/2012	Employee Falls Through Drum Fan And Is Killed
> On June 13, 2012, Employee #1, an owner of Mullens Inc., Dba Mullens Heating & Sheet Metal, was assessing a problem with an industrial air conditioning unit when he tripped and lost balance and fell horizontally through a fan inlet funnel into the air mover (drum type fan) wheel moving at a high speed. Employee #1 was killed.


from the OP, I thought it sounded like he fell vertically down into it, but not the case. he tripped and went into the fan. Osha cited 4 fines, 2 of which were LOTO. I always wonder, in these types of accidents, if the thing really was preventable or not. In the real world, sometimes the unit needs to be running in order to trouble shoot it, and I'm assuming that was the case here. Of course, we all know, if you get hurt they are going to fine you. That is a reality. 

But do people really shut everything off to trouble shoot them in the real world ? I don't think so. I think at the end of the day the contractor and employee just get screwed if there is an accident, and I don't believe that all accidents are preventable. 

just my 02

here's the link: 
https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=314511189


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