Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1412370.015 - Uss Posco Industries

Inspection Information - Office: American Canyon District Office

Investigation Summary

At 10:50 a.m. on June 26, 2019, an employee, a utility technician, was performing the tasks of the exit desk role. The exit section of the line is where finished coils of steel are tested, banded, and labeled before being removed from the line and transported to storage. The employee was assisting a coworker by strapping the completed steel coils when he inadvertently kicked a piece of metal strapping that fell through a gap in the walking beam to the walking beam basement. The employee walked towards the area where you can access both the basement and the sample testing room. The employee walked around the coil and noticed that two straps previously placed in another coil had also fallen to the basement below. The employee wanted to remove the straps to avoid any potential process disruption. The employee accessed the stairway to the basement and descended to a point where he could access the walking beam basement to retrieve the metal straps. To reach one of the fallen straps, the employee stepped onto the first follower plate then stepped onto the second follower plate which moved and caused him to lose his balance and fall. When the second follower plate moved it created an open gap between the first and second plates which the employee fell through and fell approximately 8 feet 6 inches to the concrete floor below. The employee was hospitalized to treat a fracture of the third lumbar vertebrae and a large hematoma to the right hip.

Keywords: Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Fall, Falling Object, Floor Hole, Fracture, Hip, Load Shift, Lost Balance, Production Line, Steel, Steel Plate, Storage Area, Subdural Hematoma, Testing, Transportation, Vertebra, Walking Surface