5.1: Definition
- Page ID
- 63494
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\dsum}{\displaystyle\sum\limits} \)
\( \newcommand{\dint}{\displaystyle\int\limits} \)
\( \newcommand{\dlim}{\displaystyle\lim\limits} \)
\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)
\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
\( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\)
\( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\)
\( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)
\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorA}[1]{\vec{#1}} % arrow\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorAt}[1]{\vec{\text{#1}}} % arrow\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorB}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorC}[1]{\textbf{#1}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorD}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorDt}[1]{\overrightarrow{\text{#1}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectE}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{\mathbf {#1}}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\(\newcommand{\longvect}{\overrightarrow}\)
\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)
\(\newcommand{\ket}[1]{\left| #1 \right>}\)
\(\newcommand{\bra}[1]{\left< #1 \right|}\)
\(\newcommand{\braket}[2]{\left< #1 \vphantom{#2} \right| \left. #2 \vphantom{#1} \right>}\)
\(\newcommand{\braopket}[3]{\left< #1 \vphantom{#2}\vphantom{#3} \right| #2 \vphantom{#1}\vphantom{#3} \left| #3 \vphantom{#1}\vphantom{#2} \right>}\)
\(\newcommand{\qmvec}[1]{\mathbf{\vec{#1}}}\)
\(\newcommand{\op}[1]{\hat{\mathbf{#1}}}\)
\(\newcommand{\expect}[1]{\langle #1 \rangle}\)
\(\newcommand{\dfn}[1]{\emph{\textbf{#1}}}\)
Definition
Struck-by injuries are produced by forcible contact or impact between the injured person and an object or piece of equipment. Having said that, it is important to point out that in construction, struck-by hazards can resemble caught–in or –between hazards.
There is a distinction which is best explained by looking at the key factor in making a determination between a Caught event and a Struck event, ask: Was it the impact of the object alone that caused the injury? When the impact alone creates the injury, the event is considered as Struck. On the other hand, when the injury is created more as a result of crushing injuries between objects, the event is considered as Caught.
Struck-by hazards are categorized as follows: (1) Struck-by flying object (2) Struck-by falling object (3) Struck-by swinging object and (4) Stuck-by rolling object.
Struck-by Examples
Struck-by hazards in construction cause accidents such as the following:
· A construction worker was hoisting bricks in a bucket to the top of a building. The bucket tilted, and the bricks spilled out of the bucket, striking the worker in the head. The worker suffered blunt force trauma to his head, and he died at the hospital eight days later.
· Four workers were installing signs on a highway, when a pick-up truck changed several lanes and entered the work area. The truck struck one of the workers, knocking him off the road and over a bridge rail. He fell approximately 18 ft and died.
· Four workers were struck by an exterior wall while attempting to lift it in place. Three of the workers received bruises and contusions. One of the workers received a fractured leg and was hospitalized.
· A construction inspector was crossing an equipment vehicle route at an interstate highway bridge construction site. He walked into the path of the end loader traveling the route, was run over, and killed. The loader operator was unaware that he struck the inspector.
· Worker was struck by the counterweight and revolving superstructure of an excavator when he walked between the excavator and a hillside.
· Workers were pulling 60 foot sections of pipe out of a hole, using a hoist to stack them on the derrick floor. One of the workers let go of a pipe section before it was secured. As he bent over, the pipe swung around and struck him on the head, killing him.
· A worker was maneuvering an overhead crane when a metal plate weighing approximately 7,330 lbs. separated from the lifting clamp and fell, striking and killing the worker.
Statistics
Occupational fatalities caused by struck-by hazards are a serious concern. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report titled “Manner in which fatal work injuries occurred, 2009” preliminary data, the category of “Contact with objects and equipment is 17% of the total 4,340 fatal work injuries. Of that 17% the sub-category of “Struck-by object” was 10% [more than half]. In the table below, the 2008 numbers are shown for “Crane-Related Deaths” which shows that when working with cranes, the struck-by death and injury count represents 28% of the total.
