Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300775814 - Votaw Precision Technologies Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 1:30 p.m. on June 6, 2000, Employee #1, a machinist with Votaw Precision Technology, was installing a rubber gasket on a 6 ft in diameter by 1 1/2 in. to 2 in. thick blanking plate that weighed approximately 1,000 lb. A rubber seal had already been bonded on one side of the plate and he was preparing to lift it to bond a seal on the other side. Employee #1 was using a Yale 15-ton capacity Craneveyor crane, model #EEW15, serial #BD237357B, to lift the blanking plate. He used a heavy-duty clamp to attach the plate to the sling and to the hoist, and placed a piece of aluminum between the rubber and the clamp to prevent the rubber from being damaged. Employee #1 then lifted the blanking plate off the wooden pallet on which it was stored. When he had the blanking plate in a vertical position, he tried to tilt it toward the side that needed the seal, but the clamp holding the plate slipped off and the plate came loose. It fell onto the ground on its edge and toppled over, knocking down Employee #1 and striking his left leg before falling back down onto the wooden pallet. He suffered a comminuted fracture of his left femur and foot and was transported to Downey Hospital, where he was admitted for six to seven days. The load was not effectively attached or secured, nor was it properly rigged. Employee #1 was also too close to the part as it was being moved.

Keywords: HOLD-DOWN CLAMP, CLEARANCE, FRACTURE, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, LOAD SHIFT, SLIP, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, LEG