WASHINGTON — The use of a piece of maintenance-of-way equipment to move steel grating panels, with an attachment not designed for that purpose, was the probable cause of a September 2021 fatality involving a contract worker on the Union Pacific near Castroville, Texas, according to a National Transportation Safety Board accident report issued Thursday.
The fatality occurred about 2:40 p.m. on Sept. 22, 2021, on UP’s Del Rio Subdivision near Castroville, which is about 25 miles west of San Antonio. It involved an operator for the W.T. Byler Co., who was using the stick and boom of a roadway maintenance machine to move the panels when he was struck by three 20-foot-long, three-foot-wide bridge panels, which weighed about 2,200 pounds. There were no witnesses to the accident; the victim was discovered when other workers went to his location after he did not respond to a radio message. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The machine in use was fitted with a clamping work head attachment known as a BTE Tie Talon, designed for the movement of single crossties. The NTSB report says manufacturer’s specification does not indicate other uses for the attachment; but W.T. Byler had no policies or rules regarding use of the attachment to move suspended loads.
W.T. Byler has since prohibited use of the clamping work head for transporting suspended loads, and has added additional rules to safely transport suspended roads. It has also implemented additional and refresher safety training, hired two safety professionals dedicated to railroad projects, and is conducting audits of employee credentials and safe working habits.
A pound of cure when an ounce of prevention (written rules for such equipment) was all that was required. Too bad a man paid with his life for lack of judgement and common sense…