# Structural Failures Cost Lives and Time

Recent failures of storage bins, silos and other structures highlight the need to increase awareness of hazards associated with these structures. Since 2010, one miner was killed when a storage bin collapsed; another miner was killed when the concrete silo he was standing on collapsed. These deaths and several near misses are alarming. Careful examination and prompt correction of hazards are essential to maintaining these structures. These occurrences can be greatly reduced by utilizing the following best practices.

• Examine structures for indications ofdamaged, weakened or displaced structural elements, bulging or deformed bin sides or tops, gapped joints, cracked or broken concrete, corroded or fatigue-cracked metal, bent or buckling columns, beams or braces, loose or missing connectors, cracked, broken or inadequate welds, etc. • Inspect structural elements for reduced load-carrying capacity, thinned or missing sections of beam and column webs or flanges, corroded rusted or flaked metal surfaces, delaminated plywood orwater-weakened wooden structures. • Clean accumulations of material from around the base ofstructures and flanges of horizontal beams. Carefully inspect for damaged support columns, braces, anchor bolts and eroded foundations. • Report all areas where indications ofstructural weakness are found

. • Protect lower level structural elements from collision damage by mobile equipment. • Minimize spillage and eliminate the source promptly. • New structures should be designed and certified as appropriate by a registered professional engineer in accordance with local building codes and in conformance with accepted engineering practices. Significant modifications to existing structures should be undertaken only after consultation with an engineer

. Structures should be constructed according to plans and specifications by trained workers using good materials and employing generally accepted construction methods.


### Report Structural Damage orDeterioration To YourSupervisor

## "')
. 1.**~- ~** **~(. ~.** **~** 

# \ 

# Fatalgram United States Department of Labor 

# MBHA Mine Safetyand Health Administration


### METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY

- On August 

### 3, 2015, an 18-year old truck driver (seasonal associate) with 9 weeks experience was killed at a granite mine. The victim backed his truck under a conveyor belt to be loaded

. After exiting the truck, the victim entered a door leading underneath the "sand fines silo." Soon after entering the silo, the structure collapsed burying the victim beneath the falling material.

Best Practices
• Routinely examine metal structures for indications ofweakened structural soundness (corrosion, fatigue cracks, bent/buckling beams, braces or columns, loose/missing connectors, broken welds, spills of stored solids, etc.). • Periodic detailed inspections should be performed which examine hopper and wall thicknesses, critical connections such as the hopper to the wall, and the material flow conditions. Both the inside and outside ofthe structure should be evaluated. • Report any changes in the discharge flow pattern which may be a result ofan internal obstruction that causes non-uniform pressures on the silo structure. • Report all areas where indications ofstructural weakness are found. • Schedule inspections ofthe silo's interior surface only when all material has been removed to determine if it has become polished and worn from use. This is the 15th fatality reported in calendar year 2015 in metal and nonmetal mining. As of this date in 2014, there were 19 fatalities reported in metal and nonmetal mining. This is the 4th Falling or Sliding Material fatality in 2015. There were 3 Falling or Sliding Materials fatalities in the same period in 2014.

The information provided in this notice is based on preliminary data ONLY and does not represent final determinations regarding the nature ofthe incident or conclusions regarding the cause ofthe fatality. 

# •

•

•

### The Trentonian (http://www.trentonian.com)



## .Worker presumed dead in Bristol silo collapse·

By

### Staff & 

### TheAssociatedPress Thursday, January 8, 2015 BRISTOL TWP., Pa. >>A worker was buried alive in sand when a silo collapsedthis morning at a concrete plant in a port along the Delaware River. A 125-foot silo containing concrete mix collapsed at a suburban Philadelphia shipping port Thursday morning, trapping a worker undertons ofsteel and stony granules. After hours combing throughthe debris with search dogs and pinging the man's cellphone, emergency crews presumedthe man was dead. "Atthis point we have made every effort we canto go through and searchfor the victim," said Edgely Fire ChiefCarl Pierce, reclassifying the rescue as a recovery effort. Rescue crews used search dogs to comb through sandthe consistency offlour as well as twisted steel 

### in search ofthe victim, who was said to have become trapped whenmaterial from the silo spilled out and buried a nearby worktrailer. Authorities didn'trelease the man's name, and saidthe cause ofthe collapse was under investigation. Familymembers who arrived atthe Riverside Industrial Complex 

### inBristol Township after the worker failed to come home identified him as Anthony Gabriele. Rescue and recovery workers brought 

### incranes and plannedto continue removing the debris until they recoverthe body, said Bristol Township Emergency Management Director Kevin Dippolito. A witness, who saidhis son sometimes works overnight atthe plant, said it could have beenworse ifa ship hadbeen

### inportbecause there would have beenmore workers around who couldhave suddenly gottenburied 

### inthe sand. Officials say it's likely the worker died from the initial impact ofthe collapse orwhenhe became trapped under mounds ofsteel and powderedmaterial. The collapsed silo was usedto store rawmaterials for making concrete. It's part ofa complex offacilities used to store material offloaded from cargo ships docking at an adjacent deep-waterport.They say a rescue team started searching around 3: 15 a.m. By 10:30 a.m., authorities were calling it a recovery operation andrelatives ofthe victim were arriving atthe plant along NorthRadcliffe Street justbefore the Tullytown line. The silo is part ofa complex offacilities used to store scrap steel, gypsum, coal, grain, salt, fertilizer and othermaterials offloadedfrom cargo ships docking at an adjacent deep-water port·onthe Delaware River. Bristol Townshippolice say a patrol officer discovered the collapse around 1 a.m. after noticing the silo's lights were offand a snow-like powderhung inthe air. Officials withthe federal Occupational Safety andHealthAdministration said the agency is investigating. The agency cited the complex's owner, Silvi Group, in2012 for allowing a barge's aerial liftto beused ina prohibited fashion. Silvi Group did not immediately respond Thursdayto a message seeking comment. Dr. DavidJaslow, medical director for Bucks County'stechnical rescue team, said rescuers faced a nightmare scenario that combinedthe treachery ofa building collapse withtons ofpowderfrom a nearly full silo rushing down and engulfing everything inits path. He saidthe silo fell in such a way that itapparently didn'tleave any airpockets that wouldhave allowed the workerto breathe. Other factors, including 10-degree temperatures that would leadto hypothermia, also made the worker's survival unlikely, he said.

URL: http://www.trentonian.com./general-news/20150108/worker-presumed-dead-in-bristol-silo-coUapse © 2016 The Trentonian (http://www.trentonian.com) 

# •

# • )**U.S~** Depa ent o - Labor Mtne Safety and He rth Adm nlstratlon
Fatality #12 -August 17, 2012 (Victim was Recovered September 4, 2012) Falling Material
- Florida
- Hydraulic Cement Tarmac America LLC
- Pennsuco Cement Plant 

### fatalgrams aRd Fatal ReP,orts·

METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY- On August 17, 2012, a 58-year old equipment operator with 19 years of experience was killed at a cement operation. The victim was worki ng on the roof of a 189-foot tall silo when the roof collapsed. Rescuers responded immediately and recovered the victim on September 4, 2012.

Best Practices • Routinely inspect the entire silo including walls, top, hopper(s), feeders, conveying equipment, liner, roof vents, etc. Look for structural damage, exposed rebar, stress cracks, corrosion , concrete spalling/cracking, signs of overfilling, top lifts, dust spills from seams during loading, damage to climbing devices, etc. The structure should be inspected by a professional engineer knowledgeable in silo design and construction. • Ensure a competent person conducts examinations to identify hazards. • If damage is discovered, prohibit use of and access on the silo and in the surrounding area until repairs are complete and/or a registered professional engineer has declared it structurally safe to use. • Modifications or equipment additions to a silo should be under the direction of a professional engineer. • Ensure process controls and dust collector baghouses are in working order to prevent overpressure, overfilling, or excessive vacuum. Dust leaving a silo may indicate structural damage or equipment malfunction. • Ensure aeration systems and other means of enhancing hopper flow are in working order so asymmetric flow patterns do not develop within the silo and damage the walls, hopper, and roof. • Provide silo level probes/weight measuring technology for /equipment to monitor silo material filling and discharge in the silo and keep it in working order. This is the 12th fatality reported in calendar year 2012 in the metal and nonmetal mining
'industries. As of this date in 2011, there were 7 fatalities reported in these industries. This is the 2nd Falling Material fatality in 2012. There was 1 Failing Material fatality in the same period in 2011.

The information provided in this notice is based on preliminary data ONLY and does not represent final determinations regarding the nature ofthe incident or conclusions regarding the cause of the fatality.