Two Workers Injured When Boom-Lift Topples

Location:

• Gavilon Grain Silos, 402 Main Street, Townsend, DE

  

Date of Occurrence:

·         Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 1:15 p.m.

Victims:

·         32 year old male from New Castle, DE

·         38 year old male from Milford, DE

Resume:

Townsend-Delaware State Police are investigating an incident in which two maintenance workers were injured after the boom-lift they were working in toppled backwards and fell to the ground at the Gavilon Grain Silos facility in Townsend, DE.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the incident occurred at approximately 1:15 p.m. this afternoon as the two male maintenance workers were working in the platform basket of a boom-lift, raised approximately 40 feet off of the ground. The workers were performing maintenance and attempting to reach the conveyor belt on the top of the grain silo.  Indications are that one of the workers attempted to reposition the boom-lift by putting it in reverse.  One of the boom-lift’s wheels traveled down a small embankment, causing the boom-lift to lose its center of gravity, and topple backwards.  The workers and the boom-lift fell to the ground with the boom lift falling across the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks.  The two men landed approximately 10 feet from the boom, on a gravel surface.

Both were flown to the Christiana Hospital Trauma Center by Delaware State Police Aviation Helicopter Trooper 4 and by CCHS Life Net Helicopter where they were admitted in critical condition.

Both workers were wearing safety harnesses, but it is unknown at this time if they were secured to the platform. Railroad traffic was halted as the incident was investigated and cleared. Names of the victims will not be released as is DSP practice when investigating these types of industrial incidents.