Digger hits builder in face and knocks him down hole

A construction worker suffered serious injuries after he was struck by a digger in the face then fell 20ft down a hole on a site in Suffolk on Saturday 21st January 2012.

The East of England Ambulance Service were called to the housing site in Fentons Way in Kesgrave at 10.12am.

Ambulance service spokesman Gary Sanderson said: “We believe the man was struck by a digger then he fell down a hole approximately 20 feet in the ground.

“Paramedics who were first at the scene found he sustained serious facial injuries which were deemed potentially life threatening.

“Our ambulance crews worked extremely hard to treat, stabilise and immobilise the casualty alongside their critical care colleagues from the Essex air ambulance and fire service in a very difficult environment.”

The victim is being treated at Ipswich Hospital where he is in a serious condition.

Source – Construction Enquirer

LST comments that simple safety precautions which could included operator and site worker training and tool box talks would have made this unnecessary incident totally avoidable. Operators should be reminded of the need to lower any ancillaries to the ground and isolate hydraulic power when other personnel approach their equipment, while those others should be encourage to approach the operator from a position from which they can be seen typically from the 10 o’clock to 11 o’clock position, and never enter any machine ‘blind spot’.