Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126123470 - M & B Pipeline Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Monrovia District Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 worked for M & B Pipeline, Inc., Glendora, CA, a company that installed large pipes requiring mechanical lifting devices to transport, raise, and lower them to the exact location of installation. He had been similarly employed on several occasions over the past three years and for about one week prior to the accident. At approximately 10:00 a.m. on September 16, 1996, Employee #1 was asked by a coworker operating a Caterpillar 920 loader to hold an 8 in. diameter by 10 ft long pipe to keep it from swinging or hitting the ground while it was being moved. Employee #1 stood on the left of the loader and supported one end of the pipe, which was suspended by a cable and pipe clamp from a hook on the bucket of the loader. The bucket was raised, and the pipe was approximately 4 to 5 ft above the ground. The operator's forward vision was obstructed by the bucket, and Employee #1 did not tell the operator that he was moving from the left to the right side of the vehicle. He could not keep up with the loader when it started moving forward, and approximately two minutes later he was struck by the right wheel and knocked to the ground. The loader ran over his left foot, causing three fractures, and then stopped on his right foot, causing seven fractures. He was initially hospitalized for five days and subsequently for another five days. Employee #1 said he had never been trained and had learned his job by watching others. The employer was cited for a serious violation of T8CCR 1592(e), for failure of earthmoving equipment operators to know the presence of workers on foot in their area of operations. Other violations were also found, and citations issued accordingly.

Keywords: FRACTURE, OBSTRUCTED VIEW, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, EARTHMOVING EQUIP, LOADER, RUN OVER, UNTRAINED, COMMUNICATION, FOOT