Inspection Detail

Inspection: 120295514 - Manson Construction And Engineering

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At 10:30 a.m. on January 7, 1997, Employee #1 and coworkers were building a wharf at Pier A in the port of Long Beach. They were using a Manitowoc machine-type lift, clam, and drag crane, model 4600 S-3, serial # 46464, to remove the forms and timber from the wharf and the water. With a 180 ft main boom and a 40 ft jib, the crane had a rated capacity of 80,000 lb at 66 ft. The workers had removed a pile of material from the water and were preparing for the next pick when the accident occurred. During this downtime, the boom was initially facing southwest, toward the water. The foreman told the signalman to remove the 1/2 in. chokers from the crane and to place the 40 ft 7/8 in. chokers so that beams could be picked up. After changing the chokers, the signalman indicated for the crane to rotate counterclockwise for the next pick. At this same time, Employee #1, the oiler for the crane, had crawled underneath the crane to look at the machinery in the upper house. As the crane swung clockwise, his upper body became caught by the upper house and was pulled into the 3 3/4 in. space between the crawler and the upper house. Employee #1 was killed. The main causal factor in this accident was the employer's failure to barricade the area or to take other positive means to prevent employees from entering into where Employee #1 became caught.

Keywords: ERECTION PROCESS, GUARDRAIL, BARRIER GUARD, WORK RULES, CAUGHT BY, CONSTRUCTION, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRANE