Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126199348 - Maxwell Industries Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 5:00 a.m. on February 15, 2010, an employee, a project manager, was conducting a safety inspection at the jobsite before the beginning of the shift. The excavating contractor arrived at the site around 6 a.m., and a coworker began to remove the plywood covers, which were covering the excavation, to continue the work. The employee saw what the coworker was doing, and he offered to help. There were three covers over the excavation and they were in the process of removing the cover on the west end of the excavation. The coworker lifted one side of the cover and the employee lifted the other side. The employee took a couple of steps, and he fell into the hole and landed on his right side. The coworker called the employee's supervisor, who was approximately 250 ft away from the employee. The supervisor called emergency medical services. Shortly thereafter, the fire department arrived at the site with the paramedics. The employee was taken to Arcadia Methodist Hospital, where he underwent surgeries on his right shoulder and leg. The employee was diagnosed with fractures on right shoulder and leg. He was released from the hospital on February 26, 2010. The dimension of excavation was 10 ft by 12 ft 8 in. by 6-ft deep, and the plywood covering was made of 2 ft 4 ft plywood boards and 16 ft long 0.625-in. thick plywood.

Keywords: EXCAVATION, FRACTURE, SHOULDER, ELECTRICIAN, FALL, LEG