Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310492715 - International Paper

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:45 a.m. on August 21, 2008, an employee was performing a regularly assigned task of locating inventory in the attempt to ensure material was on the site to complete a production order. The employee was in the railroad car unloading area attempting to locate material for a production order that may be in a railroad boxcar. The Lift Truck Operator, LTO, partially opened a boxcar door with his vehicle, clamp truck, from the loading dock, while the employee stood adjacent to the boxcar door at ground level so he could examine the contents. The LTO told the employee that he did not believe the boxcar contained what the employee was looking for, and the LTO backed his vehicle away from the boxcar. The employee leaned into the boxcar from ground level to examine the boxcar contents. The LTO, unaware that the employee was looking into the boxcar, and unable to see past the clamp assembly on his lift truck, drove back to the boxcar door area to open the door completely. After the LTO opened the boxcar door, he backed away and observed the employee lying across the loading dock door in obvious physical distress, bleeding from his chest area. The injured employee was working within close proximity to the LTO. The supervisor was not in the immediate area. The employee was hospitalized and treated for a fractured rib and collar bone, collapsed lung, and a bruised shoulder due to being caught between a railroad car and a clamp truck.

Keywords: CHEST, LUNG, SHOULDER, PINNED, COLLARBONE, RAILROAD CAR, CAUGHT BETWEEN, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, RIB, CONTUSION