Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125742296 - C C Meyers

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 6:30 p.m. on August 14, 2001, Employee #1 and four coworkers were working for a highway bridge contractor and were constructing footings and columns for a highway bridge. An excavator, Caterpillar 325BL, Number 24-502, was placing 4-foot by 8-foot steel plates between I-beams for the footings. The excavator was equipped with a travel alarm that sounds when the tracks move. Two employees were rigging the plates on one side of the excavator while Employee #1, and a coworker, the foreman, were assisting with the placement of the plates. As the excavator picked up a plate, Employee #1 knelt down to sweep dirt from the top of one of the I-beams. The back-up alarm (travel alarm) on the excavator began sounding and the excavator backed up a short distance onto Employee #1's foot. Employee #1 was hospitalized and on August 29, 2001, his lower leg was amputated due to infection.

Keywords: BEAM, FOOTINGS, STEEL PLATE, AMPUTATED, ALARM, CONSTRUCTION, INFECTION, EXCAVATOR, STRUCK BY, LEG