Worker killed by falling refrigerator
December 17, 2010 by Fred HosierPosted in: Bizarre Accident of the Week, Fatality, In this week's e-newsletter, Investigations, Latest News & Views, OSHA news
PDF OSHA is investigating an incident in which an employee of a construction company was killed when some of his co-workers threw a refrigerator off of a fourth story balcony, crushing the employee.
Rafal Chmura, 33, was part of a team employed by Wiegand Enterprises working in a building in Milwaukee.
Police say the workers called out, “All clear,” before throwing the refrigerator out of the building, but Chmura walked out of the building and was killed by the appliance.
His widow, Beata Chmura, tells a Milwaukee TV station that one of her husband’s former co-workers tells her it was a frequent practice to throw things off of balconies or out windows to save time on jobs. (Video of the TV interview is here.)
Rick Wiegand, owner of the company, denies that claim. He says his company would never condone that behavior.
Police have completed their investigation and called the incident a “tragic accident.”
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Tags: killed by falling refrigerator, threw refrigerator off balcony, Wiegand Enterprises
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December 17th, 2010 at 10:33 am
My local news channel reported that he was joking with his co-workers saying “go ahead, i”ll catch it” when he received a phonecall on his cell. He answered, his co-workers assumed he left the area, and we all know the rest of the story. Tragic.
December 17th, 2010 at 11:44 am
There’s nothing wrong with a little fun at work but it’s important to know the difference between having fun and at-risk behavior to place yourself or a coworker in harms way. The following story from December 15th’s edition of The Daily Reporter in Milwaukee illustrates the point:
A man who was crushed by a refrigerator Tuesday was goofing around with co-workers who pushed the appliance from a fourth-floor porch, according to the Milwaukee medical examiner’s report.
The dead man was identified as Rafa Chmura, 33, of Franklin.
According to the report, Chmura and 11 others were cleaning and rehabilitating the Campus Community Apartments, a 16-unit apartment building at 805-811 N. 22nd St., Milwaukee, when the accident occurred.
Chmura was at ground level. According to the report, other workers had first removed a hot water heater from a third floor apartment, also by tossing it over a railing, and the men decided to toss the refrigerator so it would crash onto the hot water heater.
The two men who tossed the refrigerator, according to the report, said they called down to Chmura, who jokingly responded, “Go ahead, I’ll catch it.”
At about the same time, the boss called Chmura’s cell phone. His cell phone was broken in the mishap.
“He might have answered the cell phone,” according to the report, “at which time the 170 pound refrigerator was coming over the edge.”
When the co-workers saw Chmura on the ground they at first thought he was joking, but, realizing he had been hurt, they called 911, according to the report.
Chmura suffered severe trauma to the back of his head.
Chmura is survived by a wife and two school-age children.
Several things are in play with this tragic death.
Horseplay
Throwing a refrigerator off the 4th floor balcony may be a fast and exciting way to dispose of it, but it certainly isn’t the safest way. Even if the victim wasn’t directly underneath it, as it crashed to the pavement, parts and pieces would go flying and could possible strike someone nearby. Depending on the type of unit, hazardous chemicals could leak from it due to the inevitable damage.
Distraction
It appears the victim was distracted by a phone call. This happens all too much these days with our reliance on cellular service that is clipped to our hip. The important rule to remember is to never utilize your phone while working on moving equipment or in other hazardous situations. Go to a safe area like an office, hallway or break room to use your phone. Have it on vibrate or mute so you won’t be distracted if it rings while on the job.
Each year there are several deaths caused by such “fun” in the workplace. Ensure you or your coworker isn’t the next headline in the newspaper.
December 22nd, 2010 at 4:05 pm
It’s amazing how some tragedies could be prevented with a little common sense.
December 28th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Darwinism is alive and well.