The incident occurred while employees were replacing a drill bit on a horizontal drilling machine. According to OSHA, the pipe stem began rotating during the work and struck an employee, resulting in the worker’s death. The agency determined that employees were exposed to struck-by hazards while working on the horizontal directional drilling equipment.

HDD, commonly used for underground pipeline and utility installation, makes equipment safety and procedures during maintenance and drill-bit replacement considerations for contractors working on these projects.

This report first appeared in Industrial Safety and Hygiene Magazine.