Inspection Detail

Inspection: 18843896 - William Burnett & Company, Inc.

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

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 worked for a company that manufactured sheet from used trim scrap. The scrap was in 3-ft by 4-ft by 5-ft bales. Normally, the bales were immediately loaded into a waiting boxcar, but frequently there was no boxcar waiting. In such cases, a powered industrial truck with a clamp would stack the bales no more than three high near the baler. The baler operator, who had 1.5 years of experience, said that when he saw bales tipping he usually adjusted them with his truck. On the day of the accident, he noticed a bale tipping, but was unable to upright it because he was temporarily without a truck. He avoided the area until he got his truck. Meanwhile, however, Employee #1 passed through the area from the lunchroom. When he reached the bales, the top two bales tipped over and knocked him to the floor. The baler operator immediately removed one bale and was helped in removing the second bale. Employee #1 was hospitalized with a broken leg, a twisted ankle, sprained knee, and laceration to the forehead.

Keywords: KNEE, FRACTURE, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, BALER, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, SPRAIN, LEG, UNSTABLE LOAD