Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300790185 - Pacific Coast Steel

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 12:12 p.m. on May 14, 2002, Employee #1 and a coworker were preparing to secure steel to a rebar structure that had been guyed and braced by eight steel cables approximately one hour earlier. Employee #1 was at a height of approximately 70 feet and the coworker was at a height of approximately 34 feet when a Terex mobile truck support crane, Model RC30, operated by Modern Continental, began to pick up steel to be added to the structure. The crane was under the direction of coworkers from the steel contractor, Pacific Coast Steel. As the crane began its radial swing, the cable drum mounted on the counterweight area snagged one of the guys supporting the rebar structure. The crane operator was unaware of this and continued swinging the crane. This caused the crane to pull the guy enough to destabilize the structure, which collapsed to the ground. Employee #1 fell, striking his head, and was pronounced dead at the scene. The coworker suffered minor injuries, for which he was treated and released. Both workers were wearing the required fall protection and were properly secured onto the structure at the time of the accident. At least one of the guy that braced the structure constituted an operating obstruction because it was behind the crane counterweight and in the crane's swing radius. The investigation revealed that the crane operator failed to ensure that the crane still had adequate clearance and did not check to see if his intended operation would strike the guy. The crane operator also failed to barricade or take other positive steps to prevent workers or obstructions from being caught between the rotating parts of the crane. Note: The coworker was injured but was not entered on the injury line of the report.

Keywords: CLEARANCE, HEAD, COLLAPSE, IRON WORKER, WORK RULES, MOBILE CRANE, CONSTRUCTION, STEEL ERECTION, GUY, FALL