OSHA Issues Bulletin Cautioning Auger Operators

The Engineering News-Record reported that in a recent bulletin, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) urged operators to be cautious when using powered augers, after an accident investigation led to research showing a larger number of deaths than expected.  OSHA warns that an auger can become entangled with hidden landscaping fabric or contact utility lines, leading to deaths.

The administration created the bulletin after officials from the agency’s Wilkes-Barre, PA office investigated a fatality at the site of a newly constructed building.  A subcontractor had been hired to install a security fence and one post-hole remained to be dug in an area covered with mulch.  The operator of the 16” auger didn’t inspect the area and didn’t know that landscape fabric had been placed on the ground beneath the mulch.  Altered equipment also played a large role in the incident, OSHA said.

OSHA reported that since 1987 there have been 13 auger-related deaths from entanglement, crushing hazards, or contact with overhead or underground electrical equipment and utility lines.