Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1453035.015 - Saf Holland Usa Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Saint Louis Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 7:00 p.m. on December 16, 2019, an employee working as a machine operator for a motor vehicle parts operator was completing preventive maintenance on a turret lathe. As part of the process the employee was required to use a Deshazo Model 75005850 10,000-pound Bridge Crane to move the lathe conveyor. The employee removed the crane's clevis hook from the lifting beam attachment before beginning the process. The employee left the lifting beam attachment sitting on the floor near the housing/retract saw line out of the way of normal pedestrian traffic. The employee began to reattach the clevis hook when the hook block struck the top of the lifting beam attachment. The collision of the block and the lifting beam caused the lifting beam to shift and fall laterally toward the employee. The employee's left leg at or below the knee was pinned under the lifting beam. The employee sustained serious injuries to her tibia, fibula, knee and femur, requiring hospitalization and emergency surgery with a possible amputation.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Beam, Blocks, Conveyor, Crane, Crane Hook, Flying Object, Knee, Lathe, Leg, Machine operator, Material Handling, Partial Amputation, Pinned, Struck By, Surgical Amputation, Tibia, Traumatic Amputation