Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307334805 - D H Tile Company

Inspection Information - Office: Oakland District Office

Investigation Summary

On the afternoon of July 1, 2004, Employee #1, a 25-year-old marble fabricator, was assigned to his usual and customary occupation. He was finishing the task of grinding the edge of a piece of granite that was to be fabricated into a counter top. The piece of granite was rectangular in shape and weighed approximately 350 lbs. Employee #1 asked two coworkers to help him move it out of the shop and onto a stand outside, a distance of approximately 15 ft to 20 ft. Employee #1 and two other workers tilted the slab onto its edge and lifted it off the table. Employee #1 was on the front end of the piece with the other two men equally spaced behind him. The bottom edge of the granite was in his left hand. Each worker was then ready to carry a weight of roughly 117 pounds. When Employee #1 went to take a step with his left foot, he felt a sharp pain in his ankle and nearly fell. The other two coworkers recovered the slab of granite and placed it back on the table. Employee #1's left ankle was bleeding and rapidly swelling. Employee #1 was hospitalized. It is more than likely that when Employee #1 took a step, while straining to handle the weight of the granite, he averted his left ankle. When he turned his ankle and went to take a step, the weight of his body, along with the additional weight of the slab of granite, put sufficient pressure on the ankle to cause the injury.

Keywords: FRACTURE, OVERLOADED, SLIP, CONSTRUCTION, MANUAL MAT HANDLING, ANKLE