Inspection Detail

Inspection: 122322654 - Cairo Auto Repair

Inspection Information - Office: Chicago North Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was working on a transmission problem on a 1991 Chevy Caprice (Checker taxi cab #3592) on a 5,000 pound Weaver hydraulic lift. The cab fell on him when a 1990 Chevy Caprice (Blue Ribbon taxi cab #4526) was driven by the shop owner under the raised lift to let another car out of the shop. The lift carriages came out of their tracks and one positive stop came out and the lift extension arms went inside the Blue Ribbon cab's windows. The lift had two cylinders, four positive stops on top of two columns, and two safety latches. Either the lift extension arms either were not set in the proper positions, or the shop owner hit the car on the lift, which could have caused the car to slip out and the hydraulic lift to collapse. Employee #1 was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital and died on July 12, 1995.

Keywords: HYDRAULIC LIFT, AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR, COLLAPSE, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, CRUSHED, AUTOMOBILE, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT