Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1427779.015 - Rush Personnel Services Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 6:42 a.m. on August 16, 2019, an employee, who served as temporary labor was working as a shop helper, was working alongside a coworker,. The employee and coworker were tasked with polishing the rough edges of fabricated metal sheet panels. Each panel measured 4-feet by 8-feet or 10-feet in dimension and weighing at least 130-lbs. They then transferred the panels onto a vertical holder situated near their workstation, so all the panels would be ready for shipping. Instead of lifting and transferring each metal panel individually, they decided to use a metal tube that was bent into the shape of a hook and inserting the hook through a cut opening in a stack of metal panels, consisting of approximate nine sheets. They then tied a rope to the hook and attached the rope to a metal chain hanging from the overhead ceiling crane. The employee who was, an unauthorized crane/hoist operator, used the crane controller to lift the metal stack to a near-vertical position. However, as the stack was about to be lowered onto the nearby metal bracket holder, the hook failed, causing the stack to fall onto the left lower leg of the employee. The employee sustained crushing injuries to his left leg which included fractures to his fibula and femur. The employee was hospitalized for these injuries.

Keywords: Crane, Crushed, Crushing, Fracture, Hoist, Leg, Sheet Metal, Stack, Temporary Employment Agency