Hazard:
A VSC F&S employee was injured when the core drill he was operating broke free of its wall anchor. He was drilling a horizontal 7 inch pass through when the 80 pounds of tool and equipment fell causing him to fall 6 feet to the floor. The concrete block wall that the drill support assembly and guide rod were secured to shattered, dislodging the inserted anchor.
In this accident case the base plate had been supported with a 1/2” drop-in concrete anchor. This type of anchor is NOT recommended for concrete block. The weight, torque and stress from the equipment would cause the anchor to break away.
Preventative Measures:
According to the tool manufacturer (Milwaukee tool) when this equipment is used for horizontal core drilling the support base plate must be anchored using a 5/8” expansion anchor.
OSHA requires employers and workers to follow manufacturer’s safe tool usage. We must retain all equipment & tool manufacturer’s manuals and comply with safe operation procedures. Manual must also be used for instruction in tool safety training. Solely relying on “hands-on” training can result in unsafe practices and injury.