Worker Dragged Into Mixer

A worker was killed when he was dragged into a rotating concrete mixer while he was cleaning it.

He had completed a pressurized concrete pour at a construction site. He then returned to the company property and parked the concrete pump truck about 100 feet (30 meters) from the office and began to hose out the mixer tank.

About a half-hour later, a fellow worker found him dead inside the mixer. The engine was still running and the operating lever was in the activated position. It appeared he had been caught by a mixing rod and pulled into the mixer.

The protective metal screen mounted on the opening of the mixer had been in place for the last pressurized pouring job but had been removed for cleaning.

Investigators into this fatality concluded the worker had been cleaning without switching off power to the mixer. He was standing too close to the rotating mixing rod, and apparently put his hand into the mixer.

Could something like this happen to you? Moving machinery is notorious for catching and crushing workers. Make sure you follow all safe procedures and use effectively-guarded equipment.