Liza 1

Safety Sharing

November 2018

Safety alert: I-beam topple L45 – October 2018

What happened?

Workers were fabricating I-beams
(1.5 ton weight) in a fabrication shop using the shop’s gantry crane.

One end of the I-beam’s web was
tack-welded to the flange. In order to manipulate the beam to remove a gap for
fit-up, the gantry crane beam clamps
were removed.

The partially fabricated I-beam then toppled over and struck two workers, resulting in:

Fatal injury
to a 33-year-old steelworker

Leg fracture
to his 35-year-old supervisor

What could have happened?

While the outcome was tragic, both workers could have been fatally injured when the I-beam toppled.

How to prevent future events

Consider stored energy during work planning and follow the established plan. Eliminate stored energy hazards whenever feasible.

If work deviates from plan, stop and
re-evaluate hazards before proceeding.
Seek out support if needed.

When stored energy hazards exist, ask:
“If this moves, where will it go?”

Barriers and layers of protection: What went wrong?

Work setup: The orientation of the I-beam in the vertical position for fit-up and welding created a potential toppling hazard, if safety controls were not in place

Line of fire: Workers did not recognize and/or mitigate the line of fire
(i.e, stored energy) potential.

Work execution change: An unexpected change occurred during work execution; workers did not stop work, update the work plan, or re-evaluate hazards.

This is being shared worldwide across the company and is being cascaded to our EPCs and subcontractors. It is intended to create awareness and discussion with personnel at the workface, but it is also beneficial for sharing with a wider range of personnel who plan and execute work. These learnings can also be applied to our personal lives and highlight the importance of assessing the risk (what could be the worst outcome) and planning the work prior to starting an activity.