Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300079050 - Polar Plastics (Nc) Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Nc Department Of Labor - Winston-Salem

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:40 a.m. on Friday, July 18, 1997, Employee #1 and three coworkers were preparing to separate and inspect a recently arrived OMV thermoforming mold, serial #MT-V94MB09. The mold had been placed on a work table in the tool room where the supervisor and technicians would perform the inspection before connecting the unit to the production line. The employees planned to use an adjustable gantry crane to remove the head or top portion of the mold. Two coworkers were busy gathering tools for the operation as Employee #1 and a third coworker moved the Motivation tri-adjustable gantry crane, model GA02A15X, into position. Realizing that they would need to raise the gantry an additional 2 ft to gain working clearance between the top mold and the hand chain hoist, Employee #1 and the third coworker used a Jackall 8000 optional ratchet jack to raise one side of the gantry. Once this was accomplished, they moved their jacks to the opposite side and began raising the legs the amount needed to level the gantry. However, when the coworker attempted to install his adjustment pin, he found that the adjustment hole in the leg tubing would not line up and that he would need to slightly lower his leg. To do this, he raised the jack handle and turned the UP-DOWN lever on the jack to the 'down' position. This procedure should have allowed him to lower his side and insert the adjustment pin. Instead, the jack housing and handle collapsed on his side and fell down the track to the base of the framing leg. The adjustable leg tubing also fell to the base of the gantry. The rapid collapse of the adjustable leg on the coworker's side created sufficient force to cause the entire gantry frame to begin to rotate and topple over, with the wheels rolling back and up. The coworker stepped back as Employee #1 was pushed down to the floor by the gantry. Employee #1's head and upper torso were struck by the overhead beam and frame and he became pinned under the gantry, with his body parallel to the legs of the frame. The three coworkers lifted the gantry off Employee #1 and he crawled out from under the frame. He had blood around his scalp and head, and for a few seconds he was conscious and standing on his own. Emergency Services was called and arrived within 10 minutes, by which point Employee #1 was supine on the floor of the tool room. Shortly thereafter, he stopped breathing and CPR was immediately started. At 11:00 a.m., Employee #1 was transported by ambulance to the Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The final autopsy report listed the cause of death as blunt force injuries to the head and neck.

Keywords: HEAD, MAINTENANCE, HOISTING MECHANISM, COLLAPSE, PINNED, GANTRY CRANE, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, STRUCK BY, JACK, OVERTURN