Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 202470183 - Employee Is Injured When Struck by Falling Beam
| Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 314823915 | 03/24/2011 | 3491 | 332911 | Wet Design |
Abstract: On February 14, 2011, an employee, a maintenance mechanic, and a coworker had been assigned to dismantle and move an overhead bridge crane over a few feet inside the "Smile" building. They were using a stand-up forklift, scissor lift, and a ladder to accomplish this task, which was not part of their regularly assigned work of repairing and maintaining machinery. They were joined by two electricians, who offered to help them. They first unbolted and removed the trolley beam of the crane, secured it to the forks, lowered it and rested it on the rails of the scissor lift, until it was completely unbolted. They used a utility cart to rest the beam on, rolled it outside and the four workers picked it up and lowered it to the ground. They still had to remove the two side rails which were larger and heavier. The two electricians indicated they could not assist them any longer. The employee and the coworker continued to dismantle the crane, using the same procedure as they had with the trolley beam. When one of the two side rails had been lowered down and raised to the height of the cart, the coworker removed the strap in order to slide one end of the beam, which was approximately 26-ft long and weighed approximately 900 lbs onto the cart. After the one end of the beam was on the cart, the employee, who was located at the other end of the beam, attempted to slide the end of the beam off the forks. When he touched the beam, it became unbalanced, fell off the forks, knocked him down and landed on top of him. The employee's face hit a drain pipe on a nearby machine. The employee was hospitalized for 10 days at Providence Holy Cross Hospital, Mission Hills, where he had two surgeries to repair a broken lower jaw, broken upper jaw, crushed cheek bone, and fractured eye socket. The employee indicated he would be required to have additional surgeries to remove the plates in his jaws and realign the jaws.
| Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 314823915 | Hospitalized injury | Fracture | Occupation not reported |
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