Inspection Detail

Inspection: 309991883 - Millers Custom Work Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento Mining & Tunneling District Office

Investigation Summary

On April 2, 2007, an employee, a coworker and the plant supervisor were working at the screening plant doing maintenance and repairs. The employee and the coworker were lining a chute with steel plates. The plates used were recycled military grader edges that were 12-in. wide, 10-ft long and 1-in thick. A series of holes were spaced down the center of the steel plates. The plates were sitting on top of the forks on a forklift which was raised up to a comfortable working height of about 3 feet. The employee was using a cutting torch and cutting the steel plate lengthwise between the holes down the center of the plate. The plate was near the outside end of the fork and clamped to the forklift using a C-clamp. The coworker was using a handheld grinder and prepping another piece of steel plate for welding. This plate was placed 12 to 18 inches away from the other steel plate. The employee that was cutting had cut both ends working toward the center of the plate, with the thought that it would help to relieve tension in the metal. The employee ran out of Oxygen during the cutting process. He left the area for several minutes to get a new oxygen cylinder. He resumed cutting the final center cuts through the metal. At this same time the coworker began to reposition the piece of steel that he was working on and his gloved hand was over the edge of the metal. Before the final cut was completed, there was a loud bang and the piece of metal broke free and struck the employees left hand, fracturing and lacerating his middle finger. The employee was hospitalized and treated for his injuries.

Keywords: STEEL PLATE, FRACTURE, FINGER, EXPLOSION, LACERATION, STRUCK BY, FLYING OBJECT, HAND