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 of damaged, 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 or water-weakened wooden structures. 

• Clean accumulations of material from around the base of structures and flanges of 

horizontal beams. Carefully inspect for damaged support columns, braces, anchor 

bolts and eroded foundations. 

• Report all areas where indications of structural 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 or Deterioration 

To Your Supervisor 
"') . 1. ~-~ 

~(. ~. ~ 

\ 

Fatalgram United States Department of Labor MBHA 

Mine Safety and 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 of weakened 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 of the structure should be 

evaluated. 

• Report any changes in the discharge flow pattern which may be a result of an 

internal obstruction that causes non-uniform pressures on the silo structure. 

• Report all areas where indications of structural weakness are found. 

• Schedule inspections of the 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 of the incident or conclusions regarding the cause of the fatality. 

• 

• 

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

. Worker presumed dead in Bristol silo collapse · 

By Staff & The Associated Press 

Thursday, January 8, 2015 

BRISTOL TWP., Pa. >>A worker was buried alive in sand 

when a silo collapsed this 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 under tons of steel and stony granules. 

After hours combing through the debris with search dogs 

and pinging the man's cellphone, emergency crews 

presumed the man was dead. 

"At this point we have made every effort we can to go through and search for the victim," said Edgely 

Fire Chief Carl Pierce, reclassifying the rescue as a recovery effort. 

Rescue crews used search dogs to comb through sand the consistency of flour as well as twisted steel 

in search of the victim, who was said to have become trapped when material from the silo spilled out 

and buried a nearby work trailer. 

Authorities didn't release the man's name, and said the cause of the collapse was under investigation. 

Family members who arrived at the Riverside Industrial Complex in Bristol Township after the 

worker failed to come home identified him as Anthony Gabriele. 

Rescue and recovery workers brought in cranes and planned to continue removing the debris until 

they recover the body, said Bristol Township Emergency Management Director Kevin Dippolito. 

A witness, who said his son sometimes works overnight at the plant, said it could have been worse if a 

ship had been in port because there would have been more workers around who could have suddenly 

gotten buried in the sand. 

Officials say it's likely the worker died from the initial impact of the collapse or when he became 

trapped under mounds of steel and powdered material. 

The collapsed silo was used to store raw materials for making concrete. 

It's part of a complex of facilities used to store material off loaded from cargo ships docking at an 

adjacent deep-water port. 
They say a rescue team started searching around 3: 15 a.m. By 10:30 a.m., authorities were calling it a 

recovery operation and relatives of the victim were arriving at the plant along North Radcliffe Street 

just before the Tullytown line. 

The silo is part of a complex of facilities used to store scrap steel, gypsum, coal, grain, salt, fertilizer 

and other materials off loaded from cargo ships docking at an adjacent deep-water port·on the 

Delaware River. 

Bristol Township police say a patrol officer discovered the collapse around 1 a.m. after noticing the 

silo's lights were off and a snow-like powder hung in the air. 

Officials with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the agency is 

investigating. The agency cited the complex's owner, Silvi Group, in 2012 for allowing a barge's 

aerial lift to be used in a prohibited fashion. 

Silvi Group did not immediately respond Thursday to a message seeking comment. 

Dr. David Jaslow, medical director for Bucks County's technical rescue team, said rescuers faced a 

nightmare scenario that combined the treachery of a building collapse with tons of powder from a 

nearly full silo rushing down and engulfing everything in its path. 

He said the silo fell in such a way that it apparently didn't leave any air pockets that would have 

allowed the worker to breathe. Other factors, including 1 0-degree temperatures that would lead to 

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 

f a t a lgrams 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 working 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 of the incident or conclusions 

regarding the cause of the fatality.