Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310196852 - Dan Matlock Construction Co.

Inspection Information - Office: Van Nuys District Office

Investigation Summary

On January 12, 2007, Employee #1, a carpenter, was working at a construction site at the beach, where a house was undergoing an extensive remodeling project. At about 2:15 p.m., after constructing a whale watching tower on the roof of the house, Employee #1 and a coworker were asked by two other coworkers to assist in the setting of a beam that was part of scaffolding. Employee #1 and the coworkers carried a 4 inch by 12 inch gluelam beam that measured 22-feet long and weighed approximately 300 to 400 lbs from the front of the property to the backside of the house, underneath the house near its seawall. They set the beam up on the edge of the seawall, beneath a concrete grade beam, which spaned the length of the house. They then used a 2 inch by 12inch block with a roller mounted on it to push the gluelam beam across the top of the sea wall and out to a 0.75 inch galvanized pipe hanger that was hooked over the concrete grade beam above for the deck structure. The gluelam beam was then placed on the pipe hanger, and two of the coworkers went to the upper deck of the house to lift the beam out of the pipe hanger with a nylon strap, so it could be pushed out further. At this point, Employee #1 and the other coworker were still located underneath the house by the seawall pushing the beam out. After a few minutes, the remaining coworker went up to where the other two coworkers were on the deck, leaving Employee #1 alone to continue pushing the beam out from the pipe hanger. Employee #1 pushed the beam a few more feet and then observed the nylon strap fall from above and become caught on the concrete beam. One of the coworkers returned from the deck above to the seawall area below to retrieve the nylon strap. The coworker began swinging on the nylon strap, which caused the pipe hanger to bend outward and perpendicular to the beam. Next, the pipe hanger and the concrete beam fell. As the concrete beam fell, it turned sideways, flew up, and came into contact with Employee #1's left hand, which was still on the gluelam beam. His hand was crushed between the concrete grade beam and the wood gluelam beam, as they fell to the ground. Employee #1 was taken by ambulance to UCLA Medical Center, where he was hospitalized and underwent surgery on his left hand that required the amputation of his left index finger.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, CARPENTER, FINGER, CONSTRUCTION, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT