Inspection Detail

Inspection: 308564764 - Marva Marble & Granite, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Va-E-Norfolk (Regional Office) - Safety 0355112

Investigation Summary

On January 17, 2005, Employee #1, was working his third day at a company that handled granite and marble sheets for tile and countertop use. The employee was on the ground guiding a load of 60-ft slabs of granite sheets from a maritime shipping container on a trailer to be unloaded using an electric crane equipped with a two-hook strong back that use two wire rope slings supporting a 3-ton load. The load was lowered into position by the crane operator, who told Employee #1 to release the sling eyes from the hook. The load was observed to be unbalanced on the storage rack A-frame, and the crane operator told Employee #1 to hook up the sling on one end. The employee hooked up the eyes on the ends of both slings, instead of both eyes from a single hook. When the crane operator raised the hook, the slings both pulled out from underneath the granite slabs, pulling them over on Employee #1. His legs, hip, and back were crushed by the sheets of granite. Employee #1 was hospitalized for his injuries.

Keywords: FRACTURE, UNSECURED, CRUSHED, MECH MAT HANDLING, STRUCK BY, SLING, HIP, CRANE, LEG, UNSTABLE LOAD