Inspection Detail

Inspection: 112410972 - S.W. Rodgers Co.

Inspection Information - Office: Va-E-Manassas (Regional Office)- Safety 0355114

Investigation Summary

At approximately 7:00 a.m. on February 23, 1993, Employee #1 and a coworker were loading bundles of oak stakes into the back of a pickup truck. The bundles of stakes consisted of 25 1 1/2 in. by 1 1/2 in. by 60 in. pieces of wood. The employees picked up a bundle and the coworker set his end on the tailgate of the truck. Employee #1 then shoved the stakes into the truck bed, holding the pointed ends of the bundle. The bottom row of stakes struck the 1/2 in. high plastic lip in the bed of the truck. Employee #1's forward momentum caused the pointed end of a stake to impale Employee #1 just above the hip, crushing a major artery. Employee #1 was transported to the hospital where he died in the operating room from loss of blood.

Keywords: LOADING, LOSS OF BLOOD, IMPALED, STRUCK AGAINST, CONSTRUCTION, STAKES, TRUCK, ARTERY, HIP, PUNCTURE