Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125800011 - Gayle Manufacturing Co Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:00 p.m. on December 16, 1997, Employee #1, a trainee at the Gayle Manufacturing Company, was helping a crane operator move several stacks of 18 in. by 35 ft long steel I-beams about a conveyor table. The beams were in piles of between 12 and 15, each about 4 ft tall. After moving one stack, Employee #1 walked between the stacks and was removing the second of two chain slings when a stack fell over and pinned him. The local fire department and paramedics administered first aid at the scene before transporting him by Life Flight helicopter to U.C. Davis Medical Center, where he was hospitalized with two broken legs and crushing injuries. Neither of the operators who controlled movement of the conveyor system or the crane said they had touched any controls before the accident. The cause was not determined, although it is likely that one of the operators did hit a control button.

Keywords: FRACTURE, STEEL BEAM, UNSECURED, PINNED, WORK RULES, CRUSHED, CONVEYOR, STRUCK BY, CRANE, LEG