ASHBURN, Ga. - A man was killed while working at the Golden Peanut Company in Ashburn Monday (Nov. 24), the WALB Web site reports.
The Turner County coroner said 24-year-old Keith Branch was helping move a railcar a little before 8 a.m. Monday morning.
He got caught between the railcar and a tractor driven by Calvin Prater. Branch's chest was crushed. He was rushed to Tift Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
There are no charges at this time. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate.
(This item was posted on the WALB Web site Nov. 25, 2008.)
Grain elevators do stuff like that all the time. Saw them shove some off the end and out into the middle of a state highway once, must've had a good roll on them.
Mt Baker Plywood in Bellingham WA has done that shit for years. They used to have this strange homeshopped creation for moving rail cars around then it was a Michigan Loader equipped with a coupler. I've seen the Michigan Loader method at numerous places in my travels. Not that I have an issue with the practice as many plants/mills are located on branch lines with anywhere between daily service to every other day to once a week service. The mill/plant/company has switching needs that the railroad can't/won't commit to. Being able to to move a few cars around in a mill/plant whenever the need arises has arrived sort of by default. Guess the question that will be surely be answered by this tragedy is what sort of creditials should these plants/mills have established for non- railroad personel movement of railroad cars.
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If you are in a horror movie, you make bad decisions, its what you do.
They should be required to at least have on of those highrail deals. Most of the industries here in PDX have at least an old yardgoat or one of those high rail things.
Well Bob the power to move a railcar around doesn't have anything to do with the safety proceedures. Training and education of the employees in the position of moving railcars around a plant/mill has to be incorporated. They may need to take a few pages from our operating rules. Not that is any guarantee of still being alive at the end of the day but atleast blame is easier to point to. Insurance companies control our every move.
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If you are in a horror movie, you make bad decisions, its what you do.
Balmer Rip uses a kinda home built tractor thing equipped with coupler, and rail wheels driven by the tires of the thing. Car knockers shove a cut, or single cars into/out of the covered 'shop.'
The machine is equipped with a backup alarm, and mirrors for the operator. The 'groundman' takes care of switches, etc. But these guys are pros at their jobs... They work on dedicated shop tracks, and never leave the area until after the moves are completed.
It's a trip ta watch 'em. Outside of shop/yard areas, dangerous shit happens!
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Hmm. That address doesnt look right. It looks like the link pointing here was faulty.
A lot of these industries do this shit to avoid gettin an "intra plant switch" charge from the carrier....An IPSW is like $300 extra so they usually just do it themselves....
We had one industry that I absolutely hated...I hated the fuckin asshole that was in charge of it...Every day we would spot and pull and he would come runnin out after we were done sayin, "NO NO NO! I need that car there..." I dinged his ass on the hammerhead everytime for an IPSW and he eventually started to call before hand for car placement instructions...
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the speed on the track is 10 mph and its restricted speed, so at 10 on that blind corner they had a banner set up....
I have a video around here of an SP road switcher gathering some cars online....The conductor is riding it back with no shirt on, standing on the knuckle with a packset....Classic!
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the speed on the track is 10 mph and its restricted speed, so at 10 on that blind corner they had a banner set up....
