Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125862797 - Envirocon, Inc. Dba Paradigm Environmental

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento District Office

Investigation Summary

At 1:15 p.m. on September 15, 1995, Employee #1 was using a truck-mounted snorkel lift to reach a containment barrier on the west cooling tower for repairs and inspection. He was wearing a safety belt and 4 ft lanyard secured to the top rail at the back of the basket. After depositing an empty dumpster onto the tracks of the sally port, the driver of the truck drove forward with its rails elevated. As he attempted to travel underneath the boom of the lift, the rails struck the boom, causing Employee #1 to fall or be thrown against a wooden toolbox tray attached to the top rail of the basket. A site foreman who observed the accident but who had been unsuccessful in warning the driver used the snorkel lift ground controls to lower the basket. He radioed for assistance, whereupon the job superintendent and a worker from SMUD rendered basic care until SMUD's emergency response team arrived. Employee #1 was removed from the lift basket about 20 minutes later, after his difficulty breathing and his chest pains subsided. He was transported to UC Davis Medical Center by company vehicle after refusing ambulance transport. He was hospitalized for four days with a fractured sternum and was off work for several more weeks recuperating at home under a physician's care.

Keywords: CHEST, FRACTURE, REPAIR, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, COLLISION, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, FALL, AERIAL LIFT, INATTENTION