A track drill tipped over on its side, injuring the operator, at the Oregon Health & Science University Hospital expansion project in Portland.
Photo Courtesy Portland Fire & Rescue
Skanska USA Building, general contractor for a $650-million expansion of the Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland says it is investigating an Aug. 12 incident involving a track drill that tipped over, seriously injuring the equipment operator.
The operator of the 50-ton Bauer track-mounted rotary drilling rig was pinned in the machine’s cab when it tipped at about 10:45 a.m ., according to officials at Portland Fire & Rescue.
Workers were able to place a jack under the cab before emergency responders arrived. The fire department’s technical rescue team then supported the cab with cribbing, to ensure it wouldn't shift on the soft earth, fire officials said in a statement.
“This was necessary to both protect the victim from further injury and to ensure firefighters’ safety while performing this rescue,” says the statement.
Once the cab was supported, firefighters breached the glass of the cab and removed the operator, who was taken to a local hospital. Total time for the extrication was 14 minutes.
Skanska USA Building reports the injured worker, who was not named, is an employee of Pacific Foundation, Vancouver, Wash.
The hospital project involves a 14-story expansion of inpatient services on the site of the former school of dentistry. It is set to ncrease hospital capacity by one-third, to include 184 new beds, 26,000 sq ft for operating rooms and a three-level parking structure.
Work began last spring and is set for completion in 2026. The project is adjacent to the recently completed Elks Children’s Eye Clinic, a $50-million, five-story facility also built by Skanska.
C.J. Schexnayer is the Editor of ENR California and ENR Northwest. He has contributed to ENR's coverage of the construction industry for more than a decade. His work has focused on major projects, industry trends and emerging technology. He previously was the South America correspondent for the magazine based in Lima, Peru. During that time, he covered numerous large-scale infrastructure projects across the region including the Third Lane Expansion of the Panama Canal. In addition, CJ has been an award-winning newspaper reporter in Southern California, Texas and Louisiana.
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