Inspection Detail

Inspection: 119949832 - Hy-Tech Tile Inc

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

At 11:00 a.m. on January 17, 2006, Employee #1, a fabricator with Hy-Tech Tile, Inc., was off-loading a shipment of granite slabs. The first slabs to be off-loaded were to be stored on their edge against a metal A-frame storage rack structure (Keese Steel Works Mfg Company). A forklift (Hyster, Model Number H60 XL, Serial Number A177B26155J, 6,000 Lb capacity) was used to unload the granite slabs from the delivery truck load them onto the storage rack. The A-frame side members on which the slabs leaned formed 8-degree angles from vertical and were approximately 5-ft high. The bottom members that supported slabs were horizontal, forming 98-degree angles with the side members. The bases of these racks had two fork pockets designed for insertion of forks. The rack's base was approximately 5 ft by 5 ft. The rack did not include any means to secure the slabs. The first six slabs were off loaded, two at the time, using a special lifting device called a telescoping boom (HE-TEB, 4000 Lbs capacity) and a slab clamp (HE- SLHD). The boom was lodged on the forks of the forklift via the boom's fork pockets, and the clamp hung from the end of the boom. The clamp firmly held the slabs between two rubber pads. On the fourth off-loading, five slabs were rigged using two 16-ft wire rope slings which were attached to the hook at the end of the telescoping boom. Employee #1 was on the ground guiding the load while a coworker was operating the forklift and positioning the boom above the south side of the storage rack. Employee #1 placed a piece of wood between the load and the six slabs that were already on the storage rack, and the coworker lowered the load, placed it on the rack, and tilted it toward the slabs already there. Employee #1 unhooked the wire ropes from the boom's hook, and the coworker backed the forklift away from the A-frame area. The coworker was planning to dismount and assist Employee #1 in the removal of the wire ropes. The five slabs then tipped over, struck Employee #1, and pinned him against the slabs stored approximately 5 ft away on an adjacent storage rack. E1 was transported by emergency responders to Community Hospital of San Bernardino, where he was pronounced dead.

Keywords: PINNED, CRUSHED, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, STORAGE RACK, UNSTABLE LOAD