Inspection Detail

Inspection: 309940781 - Pulte Building Systems, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Nv-E-Las Vegas 0953220

Investigation Summary

On June 9, 2006, Employee #1 was, along with nine coworkers, working at the Pulte Building Systems yard. Two of the workers were gable workers, and eight of the workers were Roof Gantry truss fabrication table crew workers. Employee #1 was a Roof Gantry worker. At the end of every shift, workers picked up all the tools, extension cords, and nail guns and put them inside a tool box. One of the extension cords was plugged into a receptacle outlet on the other side of a Roof Gantry Model Number 14 RT truss fabrication table. Gable workers used a wooden stick to pull the extension cord from beneath the table, but they had to enter a danger zone to retrieve the cord. At the time of the accident, Employee #1 was on the floor between the fabrication table and the table's machine post. The extension cord had gotten caught between the wires under the table, and Employee #1 was crouched down in a machine pinch point area trying to release the cord. When the fabrication table finished its cycle, its pressing equipment struck Employee #1, crushing him and killing him. The Roof Gantry 14RT lacked guards on the sides and under the table. The openings were 9 inches wide and approximately 40 inches long. Also, in between the Roof Gantry and its Auto Roll table, there was a 15-inch-wide opening. In addition, the gable workers didn't receive specific hazard recognition training in a language and format understandable to them before they began work around the Roof Gantry 14RT and Auto Roll tables at the yard. Five gable workers were interviewed in Spanish, and they mentioned to the inspector that they didn't read, speak, or write in English.

Keywords: WOOD ERECTION, TRUSS, CRUSHED, LUMBER, POINT OF OPERATION, MECH MAT HANDLING, STRUCK BY, UNGUARDED