Two excavator operators were using a tandem lift procedure to carry a 128-foot section of 16-inch gas pipeline from a staging area to the installation area at the bottom of a hill. The pipe was secured by two slings about 20 feet from each end of the pipe.
All excavator operators had completed the appropriate training and were considered experts on excavating operations. Although the victim was new to the company, he had 20 years of work experience operating heavy equipment, including excavators, and had been a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers.But according to OSHA, the employer had not established procedures for using two excavators during a lifting operation…
