Inspection Detail

Inspection: 304410202 - Iron Mountain Corp

Inspection Information - Office: Utah Division Of Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

On July 23, 2001, Employee #1 and a coworker were offloading boxes of paper files from a portable conveyor belt. The conveyor was assembled to move the boxes from an upper level platform to the ground level where the employee was located. To make the conveyor reach the upper level, Employee #1 placed the portable conveyor on a single stack of wooden pallets. He then connected a set of hooks to the conveyor through the mesh of the upper level floor. However, as the conveyor ran, these hooks worked loose causing the conveyor to become unsteady and fall. The conveyor fell injuring Employee #1 in his right foot. The impact of the conveyor upon his foot crushed several bones and ripped the skin off the top of the foot. Emergency medical services were summoned and he was transported to the hospital. At the hospital, surgeons removed the big toe and its adjacent toe because of the severe damage to the digital bones. He was hospitalized for a week. During this week, medical personnel determined that the middle toe was not salvageable and it was removed as well. A skin graft was required to replace the skin on top of the foot. The primary causal factor was the placement of the conveyor belt upon the top of a stacked pile of pallets, which was standard operating procedure. He was not wearing steel tipped, heavy boots, but was wearing light, athletic shoes, which provided no protection from falling objects.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, UNSECURED, STRUCK AGAINST, CONVEYOR, FALL, TOE, FALLING OBJECT