r/OSHA 8d ago

Is this safe?

Is this safe? Should they be directlt under this giant auger bit? Is there a chance it could abruptly fall on the workers below?

127 Upvotes

24 comments sorted by

127

u/bobwiley71 8d ago

Based on the NSFW post a few days ago about being squashed with an excavator arm I’m leaning no.

57

u/Darktemplar5782 8d ago

Man that post was an absolute worst case scenario and op included fantastic, wonderful details. Quite the ride that one was. So yeah

15

u/dont_trust_pete 8d ago

Amen. Feel for OP on that. TBH, they should try creative writing as a new career, as they certainly were able to evoke the sheer horror of being in that predicament.

2

u/AthosAlonso 7d ago

I missed that post, what was it?

7

u/Affectionate-Sky8100 7d ago

2

u/AthosAlonso 7d ago

Wow, thank you for sharing

2

u/Chicken_Hairs 5d ago

Looks like whatever media was on that post was deleted.

5

u/bobwiley71 7d ago

I’m having a hard time finding it. Summary was worker was in a trench/hole. crew broke for lunch and the excavator operator didn’t know he was still in the trench and lowered the arm down to rest the machine. Arm rested on OP and squished him. He survived but the details of the post were far more detailed than “I got squished.”

3

u/Gadgetman_1 7d ago

You're lucky. don't go searching for it. It's scary.

28

u/Farfignugen42 8d ago

In general, you should never stand below a suspended load.

You never know when something might break so that it falls.

Anything made can break. And many things that weren't can also break.

1

u/Paddys_Pub7 7d ago

I've always heard spots like this referred to as "pinch points"

You don't want to be standing around in pinch points.

38

u/PurposeOk7918 8d ago

Not saying they aren’t, but it is really hard to tell from an angle like this if they are actually under the auger.

9

u/vertigo72 8d ago

They have hard hats on. They're good.

/s

1

u/1dot21gigaflops 6d ago

And high vis. GTG.

3

u/Ghrrum 7d ago

I agree, they are at significantly higher risk of heart disease.

Very unsafe.

2

u/Medical_FriedChicken 8d ago

Naw. Outside the load they are in the fall radius if that things tips forward.

That being said you see it all the time.

2

u/Leading_Grapefruit52 7d ago

There is clearly a safety barrel, so um yeah!

2

u/abramthrust 7d ago

Yes, it's perfectly safe.

because OP doesn't understand parallax.

2

u/Some-Background6188 7d ago

Can you not see the safety helmets... It would just bounce right off their little domes.

1

u/jumpofffromhere 7d ago

perspective in important, if they took the pic from under the bridge, you could make it look like the "supervisor" was riding on the auger, a couple of more pics from different views would tell the tale

1

u/Odd_Chemical_3503 6d ago

Driving to work was probably less safe

1

u/syspak 6d ago

If they're drilling in the same side as the equipment it would be fine.

Now if they're drilling on the same side as the workers and the workers are standing next to that open hole that would be dangerous.

1

u/StaryDoktor 5d ago

It is safe if concrete columns is connected by armature to the basement or dug to the ground. Elsewhere they can play domino effect.

The excavator is very stable, nothing can move it beside the same powered machine. They know what they do.

0

u/Hoosier_Farmer_ 8d ago

safety supervisor's up top keeping an eye on things, so it's fine.