Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126079482 - C. Lujan Co.

Inspection Information - Office: Monrovia District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 3:15 p.m. on February 19, 2000, Employee #1 and another employee had machined new bearings for the slitter shaft. The employees took the shaft to their shop to make sure the shaft was true. When they returned to the slitter machine they noticed that some of their parts had fallen into the slitter pit. The slitter pit was located more than 21 feet below the shop floor, and the parts were very heavy. There was no access ladder in the pit, so Employee #1 and the other employee decided that they would need to use the crane to retrieve the parts. Employee #1 placed his foot on the hook which had a throat opening of 5.5 inches and hugged the headache ball. The other employee was operating the 10 ton, floor operated bridge crane. The employee said that when Employee #1 was about 10 feet below the floor in the pit, a stopper that ensures that at least three wraps of cable remain on the drum became jammed in the sheave. This caused the cable to swing back and forth and the sheave headache ball or the stopper to hit Employee #1 in the head. Employee #1 lost consciousness and fell 10 feet to the bottom of the pit. The other employee said that he had not received training on the operation of the crane and was not aware that the crane did not have enough cable to reach the bottom of the slitter pit, nor that the stopper might become jammed in the sheave. Employee #1 was transported to USC Medical Center were he was hospitalized for six days, receiving treatment for a fractured skull, a torn nerve in his right shoulder, and numbness on his right side from his face to his waist.

Keywords: FRACTURE, SHOULDER, WIRE ROPE, LADDER, SHAFT, SKULL, BEARING, PIT, SLITTER, CRANE