Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307397752 - Sheedy Drayage Company Dba Sheedy Hoist

Inspection Information - Office: San Francisco District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 12:50 p.m. on June 7, 2007, Employee #1 and a coworker were at a job site to response to a trouble call on a construction passenger elevator. After an initial evaluation, they determined that the power cable had coiled up and become entangled. Employee #1 and the coworker went to the 22nd floor to access the problem area. Employee #1 had on fall protection and got inside the tower of the elevator while the coworker got on top of the car to operate it at inspection speed. The coworker started to bring the car down while Employee #1 was positioning himself in the tower. His left arm was hanging out when it became pinched and crushed by the counterweight coming up. Employee #1 yelled to the coworker to stop, which he did and then reversed upward. When the car rose, the counterweight went down and freed Employee #1's arm. He was able to climb out and get to the floor of the building. Employee #1 was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where he underwent surgery to insert a plate in his upper left arm and to perform skin grafting. He was hospitalized for approximately two weeks. The employer was not cited for any accident-related violations because there are no standards that apply to employees working inside the tower of a construction passenger elevator.

Keywords: REPAIR, COUNTERBALANCE, CONSTRUCTION, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, ARM, ELEVATOR, INATTENTION