28/5/2019 Accident Report Detail | Occupational Safety and Health Administration

UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

OSHA English | Spanish

Find it in OSHA 
A TO Z INDEX

OSHA WORKER EMPLOYER STANDARDS ENFORCEMENT CONSTRUCTION TOPIC NEWS/RESOURCES DATA TRAINING

Return to Accident Search Results

Accident Report Detail

Accident: 68460.015 - Employee Is Struck By Conveyor Of A Tunnel Boring Machine An

Accident: 68460.015 -- Report ID: 0626600 -- Event Date: 10/08/2014

Inspection Open Date SIC Establishment Name

1000660.015 10/09/2014 S.J. Louis Construction Of Texas Ltd

At approximately 4:15 p.m. on October 8, 2014, an employee was working in a tunnel boring machine setting up the conveyor. The tunnel boring machine's
cutting blade became jammed due to a rock or other hard object which caused the conveyor to jerk and strike the employee's head. The employee suffered from
blunt force trauma and was killed.

Keywords: struck by, conveyor, head, boring machine, tunnel

End Use Proj Type Proj Cost Stories NonBldgHt Fatality

Other heavy construction Other X

Employee # Inspection Age Sex Degree Nature Occupation Construction

1 1000660.015 41 M Fatality Concussion Construction laborers FallDist:

FallHt:
Cause:
FatCause: Caught in stationary equipment

Accident: 201511052 - Worker Is Uninjured In Tunnel Boring Machine Near Miss

Accident: 201511052 -- Report ID: 0950651 -- Event Date: 01/13/2014

Inspection Open Date SIC Establishment Name

317134591 06/04/2014 1622 The Robbins Company

On January 13, 2014, Employee #1, a technical representative employed by The Robbins Company, entered the plenum area of a tunnel boring machine (TBM)
during maintenance of the machine. A maintenance crew was rotating the machine's cutter head. Employee #1 was involved in a near miss incident. No one was
injured. This incident was investigated by Cal/OSHA. It was determined that Employee #1 did not follow established lockout-tagout procedures. A citation was
issued to the employer for violation of requirements concerning control of hazardous energy during machinery and equipment repair and servicing.

Keywords: maintenance, rotating parts, tunnel, drilling machine, construction, lockout, boring machine

Employee # Inspection Age Sex Degree Nature Occupation

1 317134591 Occupation not reported

Accident: 201044898 - Excavator Is Killed In Pressurized Release Of Grout And Rock

Accident: 201044898 -- Report ID: 0953220 -- Event Date: 06/11/2012

Inspection Open Date SIC Establishment Name

316003078 06/11/2012 1622 Vegas Tunnel Constructors

On June 11, 2012, Employee #1, of Vegas Tunnel Constructors, Las Vegas, NV, was part of a swing shift crew excavating a tunnel. They were using a tunnel
boring machine (TBM). The TBM had been excavating in closed mode for approximately 17 days. Closed mode is a term used to describe one of two modes of
operation this TBM was capable of performing, the other being open mode. Closed mode excavation involves the pressurization of the cutterhead and face of the
TBM to support the ground and/or control excessive groundwater inflows. The position of the TBM found it excavating through a large vertical fault zone that
https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/accidentsearch.accident_detail?id=68460.015&id=201511052&id=201044898&id=170357545 1/3
 later became the Detachment Fault. The ground conditions
28/5/2019 required
Accident ReporttheDetail
TBM face to be pressurized
| Occupational to approximately
Safety and 13 bars of pressure. The grout being
Health Administration
injected in the annular space was being pumped in at approximately 14 bars. The swing shift had begun work and was preparing to erect a ring segment set;
Ring #135. The swing shift began to build Ring #135 at about 4:00 p.m. The first segment was successfully installed in the tunnel crown (top of the tunnel). The
crew then began to install the second segment, which was to be placed in front of the keystone of Ring #134. Three hydraulic rams, including one abutting the
keystone of Ring #134, were slowly retracted. Almost as soon as the retraction began, a loud pop was heard. Some members of the crew reported hearing a
second pop. The keystone for Ring #134 had shifted forward approximately 4 inches. The come-a-long did not hold the forces exerted, and the gears were
stripped out. This shift permitted grout and other materials such as rocks to escape the annulus at a pressure of approximately 14 bars (200 psi). Employee #1
was standing in front of the area where the gap developed. He was struck and killed by the moving grout and rocks. Coworkers found Employee #1 and
removed him from the tunnel.

Keywords: excavation, tunnel, rock, construction, equipment failure, crushed, high pressure, struck by, boring machine, pressure release

End Use Proj Type Proj Cost Stories NonBldgHt Fatality

Other heavy construction New project or new $20,000,000 and X

addition over

Employee Inspection Age Sex Degree Nature Occupation Construction

#

1 316003078 Fatality Bruise/Contus/Abras Occupation not FallDist:

reported FallHt:
Cause: Backfilling and compacting
FatCause: Struck by falling
object/projectile

Accident: 170357545 - Employee Crushes Finger In Tunnel Boring Machine

Accident: 170357545 -- Report ID: 0950653 -- Event Date: 06/29/2004

Inspection Open Date SIC Establishment Name

303587778 09/23/2005 1622 Shea Kenny Jv

At approximately 12:15 a.m. on June 29, 2004, an employee who was a miner and laborer was working with a tunnel boring machine (TBM) segment erector.
The employee noticed a shim out of position and reached in between the segments to reset the shim while the erector jacks were in motion, resulting in his
fingers getting caught between two concrete segments. The employee was hospitalized with a crushing injury to his right hand, and later required hand surgery.

Keywords: tunnel, finger, caught between, crushed, boring machine

End Use Proj Type Proj Cost Stories NonBldgHt Fatality

Pipeline Other $500,000 to $1,000,000

Employee # Inspection Age Sex Degree Nature Occupation Construction

1 303587778 Hospitalized injury Other Supervisors, production occupations FallDist:

FallHt:
Cause: Excavation
FatCause: Caught in stationary equipment

UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

200 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20210
 800-321-6742 (OSHA)
TTY
www.OSHA.gov

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ABOUT THE SITE

White House Frequently Asked Questions Freedom of Information Act

Severe Storm and Flood Recovery Assistance A - Z Index Privacy & Security Statement
Disaster Recovery Assistance Freedom of Information Act Disclaimers
DisasterAssistance.gov Read the OSHA Newsletter Important Website Notices
https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/accidentsearch.accident_detail?id=68460.015&id=201511052&id=201044898&id=170357545 2/3
USA.gov
28/5/2019 SubscribeReport
Accident to the Detail
OSHA Newsletter
| Occupational Safety and HealthPlug-Ins Used by DOL
Administration
No Fear Act Data OSHA Publications Accessibility Statement
U.S. Office of Special Counsel Office of Inspector General

https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/accidentsearch.accident_detail?id=68460.015&id=201511052&id=201044898&id=170357545 3/3