Abstract: At approximately 12:30 p.m. on March 24, 1999, Employee #1, a framer for Sextro Construction of Highland Park, CA, and a coworker, the owner of the company, were using a Gradall 534C-9 material handler with extended boom attachments to lift a 52 ft long by 37 in. wide by 7 in. thick laminated Douglas fir beam. A nylon strap was placed around the beam and Employee #1 hooked up the ring of the strap to the boom. He then moved approximately 25 ft away from the center of the boom. The coworker had raised the boom to a height of approximately 9 ft, when, about one minute later, the 2,300 lb beam swung around and struck Employee #1 in the chest. He was knocked over and the beam fell to the ground a few feet away from him. The coworker immediately called 911 for assistance. Employee #1 was transported to Huntington Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for eight to nine days. He underwent major surgery on his chest, followed by two minor operations. Subsequent investigation identified no accident-related violations and no accident- related citations were issued to the employer.