Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1464008.015 - Perkins Small Engines, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Cleveland Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:00 a.m. on February 18, 2020, an employee was working for a firm that manufactured construction machinery. He and a coworker were assembling a mobile gantry crane at a facility owned by another firm. The employee was a production associate, and his coworker was a shift leader and manager. They were moving the crane, which had a capacity of 4,000 lbs. (1,820 kg.). The crane was a Vestil model FHS 4-20 series steel fixed height gantry crane. The crane had been idled for a period of over six months, and its caster wheels were not functioning properly. The employer performed only a visual inspection of the crane before an attempt was made to move it. The crane's upper beam fell from its A-frame supports and struck the employee in his right leg. The employee's leg was fractured near his ankle. He was hospitalized for two or more days. The caster wheels were not operating properly, and the upper beam fell because it was not properly attached to the A-frame supports.

Keywords: Ankle, Assembling, Beam, Broken Bone, Falling Object, Fracture, Gantry Crane, Inadequate Maint, Leg, Mobile Crane, Multi-employer Worksite, Multiemployer, Steel Beam, Struck By, Unstable Position