Inspection Detail

Inspection: 14837991 - Ray Stanley & Co Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

Some employees were installing a shoring system consisting of steel sheet with interlocking edges. This system was to be used to block water from a stream that crossed under a road, so that the county road crew could install new pipe under the road. One of the employees, an equipment operator, was operating a 12-ton Bantam Teleskoop, truck-mounted hydraulic crane (Model No. T-744, Serial No. 424757). The crane was positioned on the east shoulder of the road, adjacent to the shoring system and in line with a piling that had already been installed. The operator used the crane to lift a piece of steel sheet, which was approximately 15 feet in length and 2 feet wide and weighed about 900 pounds, 4 or 5 feet above the ground and positioned it above and next to a previously installed sheet so that it could be started into the interlock by another employee. The crane operator landed the sheet and was given a signal to lower the crane boom so the sheet could slide down into the interlock. This was the normal procedure as established by the company president. The sheets were attached to the crane by a plate clamp, which was attached to one end. The sheet had a 3-inch-diameter hole into which the plate clamp was secured by means of a screw. It is presumed that the employee removed the plate clamp after the pile was landed, as he was standing on the pile next to the one that had just been put in place. All of the employees thought that the piling was secured by the interlock and proceeded with the next step, which was to drive the sheet, using pile-driving equipment, into the ground to the appropriate depth. At this point Employee #1 and the company president turned away from the shoring system and began to walk away. The piling, which had just been put in place, started to fall in their direction. The plate did not fall freely, since it was partially driven into the ground. It struck Employee #1 in the back near his right shoulder, pushing him face first into the ground. He was hospitalized for injuries sustained in the accident. Photos taken by State police within 30 minutes after the accident show that the lifting plate clamp was not attached to the sheet that fell.

Keywords: SHOULDER, UNSECURED, METAL SHEET, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, UNSTABLE POSITION