A Florida pipeline-installation contractor faces proposed penalties of $165,514 after a worker was struck in the head and died during a bit replacement on a horizontal directional drill.
Lea Marshall Brunson, 61, of Orlando was struck March 17 in New Smyrna Beach by the drill’s pipe stem as it began to rotate while employees were replacing the bit, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
T&T Pipeline Co. Inc. of Orlando was cited September 14 by OSHA “for willfully exposing employees” to struck-by hazards.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the fatal incident occurred at about 11 a.m. at an underground drilling worksite at State Road 415 and Pioneer Trail in New Smyrna Beach.
“The initial investigation indicates the drill shank rotated due to torque build-up, causing the chain wrench to break free and strike the worker in the head,” a March 18 sheriff’s Facebook post says. “The victim was wearing a hard hat, but the force of the strike dented the hard hat and caused fatal injuries.”
T&T Pipeline is contesting the citation and proposed penalties.
