Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125943001 - Luna Concrete Inc

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:35 a.m. on February 10, 2006, Employee #1, a concrete laborer for Luna Concrete, Inc., was working on a construction site with his coworkers, finishing a 4,000 sq. ft. concrete slab that was being poured. The placing boom operator was using a remote controller to extend the placing boom to reach the farthest area of the slab, when the left front outrigger of the Putzmeister Trailer Mounted 52-Meter Placing Boom punctured through the soil and sank approximately 5 feet into the ground. This caused the weight of the placing boom's trailer to shift, which in turn caused the 5-section telescoping boom to fall on Employee #1 and four coworkers, who were working beneath and/or close to the extended boom. The pour had progressed for some time with no warning of the outrigger sinking, when it suddenly punched through and brought the boom crashing down, killing Employee #1, and hospitalizing two of his coworkers.

Keywords: FRACTURE, POURING, BOOM, COLLAPSE, EQUIPMENT OPERATOR, LOAD SHIFT, CONSTRUCTION, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, CONCRETE