Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1462920.015 - O'Neal Steel, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Birmingham Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 6:45 a.m. on February 5, 2020, an employee working as a machine operator for a steel supplier was loading scrap pieces. The employee stated that he had already put a 5-foot to 6-foot long I-beam into the scrap dumpster and was putting the second set of chains onto the hook so he could raise the hoist and move the crane. The employee was standing between the dumpster and five I-beams that were stacked on the floor. Each steel I-beam was 24-foot long and weighed 1,464 pounds. The employee stated that the stack fell over on top of him while he was hooking the second set of chains. He said that neither the chains nor the hook got caught on the beams. However, in the employer's video (accident is in the distance and grainy), it appears that the hoist was being raised at the time of the accident, which could have allowed the chain hoist hook to catch a stacked beams. This could have caused the stack to topple over. The employee's legs were pinned between the I-beams and the scrap bin causing crushing injuries. The employee fractured both femurs and kneecaps and damaged the arteries in his feet, requiring hospitalization.

Keywords: Attachment Hook, Broken Bone, Caught Between, Chain, Crane, Crushed, Dumpster, Falling Object, H-Beam, Hoist, Hoisting Mechanism, Inexperience, Knee, Leg, Loading, Machine operator, Material Handling, Metal, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Scrap Metal, Steel, Steel Beam, Work Surface