November 13, 2001

On October 15, 2001, at approximately 10:32 a.m., a subcontractor operator of a grout injection rig received serious head injuries and required hospitalization when he was struck by flying debris from a failed fitting assembly. The board concluded that the direct cause of the accident was a failure of a 45° swivel elbow that was underrated for the system in which it was used.  The rated working pressure for the 45° swivel elbow was 3,000 psi and the high-pressure grouting operation had a normal working pressure of 6,000 psi.