Wauwatosa, WI – An employee at AAM Casting was killed while working on the facility’s rooftop HVAC system. 61-year-old William Walker died after being pulled into a moving fan at the Wisconsin foundry. A co-worker told investigators that the fatal accident could be traced back to Walker’s failure to “tag out” the equipment.
According to the medical examiner’s report, Walker was working on the roof in small building that housed an air handling unit. Each air unit consisted of a set of stairs leading into a separate room. Walker was found in a small steel fan shack that controlled ventilation for the building.
Investigators were told by a person on the scene that Walker was supposed to have “tagged out” after finishing his task, but neglected to do so and was fatally “swallowed up” by the fan. Another worker heard commotion and found Walker. That employee shut down the unit and called 911. The local medical examiner is investigating the exact cause of death.
A spokesperson represneting AAM Casting said the victim, William Walker, was an outside contractor working at the facility.
Lockfatal accidentLockout procedout-Tagout procedures provide detailed instruction on how to isolate and lock each energy source for a given piece of equipment. Lockout-Tagout (also known as Control of Hazardous Energy) helps to prevent the startup of machinery or equipment that may result in worker injury or fatality.
According to OSHA, nearly 3 million US workers service equipment as a part of their job. These employees face the greatest risk of injury if lockout/tagout (LOTO) is not properly implemented. Compliance with the federal lockout/tagout standard is estimated to prevent 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries annually. In a study conducted by the United Auto Workers (UAW), 20% of fatalities that occurred among their membership over a span of 22 years were attributable to inadequate lockout/tagout procedures.
Contact a member of our Industrial Safety Team today to discuss the implementation of a robust Lockout/Tagout system at your facility, and the importance of training employees on the use and value of LOTO.
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