# Silo collapses killing operator



## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

Here is a vid of a silo in Chile collapsing and killing the operator.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8554024.stm


----------



## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

Wow, that's a tough one to watch.

Shouldn't someone have seen that possibility though? 

Were they expecting it to fall a little to the right, or over the boom?

What was he trying to do with the hoe? Just curious.


----------



## ElIngeniero (Feb 7, 2008)

rselectric1 said:


> Wow, that's a tough one to watch.
> 
> Shouldn't someone have seen that possibility though?
> 
> ...



He was demoing the silo with the hoe. It's a dangerous job no matter what machine is used--but a trackhoe seems like the last type of machine I'd want to use for that....


----------



## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

ElIngeniero said:


> He was demoing the silo with the hoe. It's a dangerous job no matter what machine is used--but a trackhoe seems like the last type of machine I'd want to use for that....


I know nothing about that type of work. But it seems to me it would be like felling a tree. It will fall towards the "notch". The notch in this case seems to have been the weakening of the soil and foundation where he was digging.

Again, just curious about how that all works and what the proper approach would have been.


----------



## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

They do things different in developing countries. Best option I would think is to not be in the fall zone of the silo. They could have weakned the base some to direct the fall and then put a chain or cable around it and used that machine to pull it over.


----------



## Sliverpicker73 (Dec 28, 2009)

From everyone I have ever talked to about silo demos and my own limited personal experience the proper tool for the job is a 8# maul. Heavy equipment should be kept far far away.


----------



## CanCritter (Feb 9, 2010)

weaken sppt chain long chain and dozer....not even gona look....


----------



## mudpad (Dec 26, 2008)

We have had to demo a couple of these over the years. It involves long cables and chains and a D8 (outside the fall zone) to pull it over.


----------



## ElIngeniero (Feb 7, 2008)

We've taken a few down as well using cables. We've also taken them down using a loader. I would NEVER use an excavator as shown in this vid--there is just too much risk since the excavator can't really get out of the fall zone. The least expensive way is to have someone bang away at the blocks all day and be ready to run at the first bit of creeking.


----------



## oldfrt (Oct 10, 2007)

From what I see

He dug a trench to bury the debris and it looks like that pile of fill from the trench 
caused it fall towards the excavator.
Almost looks like it bounced off it.


----------



## hemi34529 (Feb 12, 2010)

oh great looked at this thread this morning and got a call a few hours later to bid a silo demo not going to be cheap now


----------

