Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 202544508 - Worker's Knee Is Fractured When Grinding Wheel Explodes

Accident Summary Nr: 202544508 -- Report ID: 0950641 -- Event Date: 12/26/2012
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
314864208	01/07/2013	1542	236220	The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company

Abstract: At approximately 2:15 p.m. on December 26, 2012, Employee #1, of Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, was working with three fellow employees and several subcontractors to construct an addition to an existing hospital in Los Angeles. Employee #1 and Coworker #1 were working in the second floor courtyard of the hospital. They were assigned to remove cured concrete from around a floor drain to permit the application of a water proofing material. Coworker #1 had removed concrete with an electric chipping hammer, and Employee #1 was about to smooth the concrete with a grinder equipped with a 6-inch flared cup stone grinding wheel. Employee #1 turned on the grinder, and immediately the grinding wheel violently broke apart, causing stone wheel shards to strike his knee. Employee #1 sustained lacerations and a fracture to his patella. He required hospitalization and surgery to repair the fracture. He was released from the hospital on December 27, 2012. The employer reported this injury to Cal/OSHA at 11:40 a.m. on December 27, 2012. Cal/OSHA began its investigation on January 7, 2013. Investigation determined that the grinding wheel was not effectively inspected to discover possible damage and that it exceeded the maximum rated RPM of the grinding wheel. A serious citation was issued for a violation of T8 CCR 3583(f) The inspection and mounting of abrasive wheels.

Keywords: GRINDER, KNEE, FRACTURE, INADEQUATE MAINT, DRAIN PIPE, FLOOR OPENING, STRUCK BY, GRINDING WHEEL, CONCRETE, MECH MALFUNCTION

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Other building		New project or new addition		$1,000,000 to $5,000,000	6	80

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	314864208			Hospitalized injury	Fracture	Occupation not reported	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Waterproofing Fatality Cause: Struck by falling object/projectile

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