Incident date: 2022-04-04
NAICS industry code: 238190

Employees were performing construction work on an esplanade. Three employees were retrieving float stages that were secured alongside a barge and taking them approximately 150' North to a second barge. The float stages were to be loaded with forms and sent under the esplanade to be installed. In order to retrieve the float stages the operation required a boat to pull back the floats to release the tension in the lines (2 each, one at the North end and one at the South end of the floats) due to the flood tide. The boat was positioned South of the float stages. Two employees left the boat and boarded the floats. They tied a line from the boat to the float stages and moved to the lines securing the floats to the barge. One employee was on the South end of the float stages and a second employee was on the North side, each at a line. When the tension was released by the boat, both employees released each line. The platform was also released from the boat to allow for the boat's navigation around some piles. They floated North on the float stages. Once the float stages moved beyond the end of the barge, the float stages turned 90 degrees and were pointing In an east to west orientation, broadside to the current. Once broadside to the current, the current took them North causing them to strike the South end of the barge approximately 150' away. The two employees attempted to push the float stages away from the barge, but were unable to. At this time the third float stage started lifting and pushing the second float stage into the first float stage. The first float stage was pushed in the up and down position (90 degrees vertically with the flat side against the barge) and pinned against the barge, the second float stage came to rest on the first float stage side horizontally (parallel to the water), and the third float stage was also turned and was pushing on the backside of the second float stage. The injured employee's legs were pinned between a float stage (20' x 5') made of timbers and the barge with a steel hull (180' x 60'), resulting in a right tibia and fibula fracture and a left fibula fracture.

Hazard classification:
code_event: title: Collision between water vehicle and object
code_source: title: Barge
code_nature: title: Fractures
code_body: title: Lower leg(s)
severity: moderate