Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126174317 - Parsec

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, working for a lift contractor for loading and unloading containers onto railroad flat-beds, was in the process of hooking a hitch chain onto a trailer and loading the trailer onto a railroad car (Number 3851) utilizing a Taylor crane (Number 23). Employee #1, the ground man, had hooked the chain to the hitch. He went to the other side of the trailer to attach the hitch chain. The trailer was too high so the crane operator lowered the trailer so the Employee #1 could hook the chain to the hitch. The trailer nose began to lower. The arms of the crane were not at the proper lift points on the trailer resulting in the crane's spreader to be hung over the front of the trailer being lifted. This caused the front of the trailer to move and come down on top of the ground man, pinning Employee #1 between the bottom front of the trailer and the railcar. Employee #1 sustained fractures to the left knee, tibia, and ankle and was hospitalized.

Keywords: CHAIN, FLATBED RAIL CAR, PINNED, STRUCK BY, CONTAINERIZED CARGO, TRAILER, SPREADER BAR, CRANE