Christopher Hemstock died on 30 April while working at Roanoke Electric Steel Corporation in Roanoke, Virginia.
Hemstock was working on a visual maintenance inspection on the bridge of an outdoor billet crane when the incident occurred, according to human resources and safety manager Sam Miller.
As was standard practice for visual inspections, the crane was switched off, but the conductor rail running along the runway that was feeding other cranes that were operating was still powered with 480V of electricity. Company policy is to turn the hot rail off during any repair work, he said.
There were no witnesses. His supervisor was working on the other end of the bridge, separated by some equipment that prevented each from seeing each other.
Still, an internal investigation has given an account of what may have happened, Miller said.
“Apparently there’s handrail at end of bridge where he was located,” Miller said. “He leaned through handrail to look at the crane wheel. Either he lost his balance or reached over to prop himself up and that’s when he the contacted hot rail with his hand.”
The conductor rail is not shielded.
Hemstock had been working at the facility 15 months, a year within the mechanical maintenance department.
Following the incident, the company has had meetings with maintenance employees about exactly what to do on visual examinations. Miller said it was the first fatality at the company since 1972.
Roanoke Electric Steel recycles ferrous steel into bars and sections. It employs 530 people at its headquarters.
The investigation of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry is continuing.
