An apparent miscommunication about a shop-fabricated section of a temporary hoist mast, in which the field crew assumed missing bolts were in place for final erection, was a key cause behind a tragic accident that killed a New Hampshire ironworker and seriously injured another worker last year, according to a report by federal safety officials obtained by ENR.
The accident took place June 11th, 2015, at an an office building jobsite in Somerville, Mass., where a contracting team was at work last year on the 13-story building. Crews were extending the masts on two, external side-by-side personnel and material hoists when one of the masts failed and the cab on it fell, killing one worker inside and seriously injuring another.