Inspection Detail

Inspection: 312688856 - Beronio Lumber Company

Inspection Information - Office: San Francisco District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:30 a.m. on March 4, 2010, Employee #1 was working together with a coworker to re-stack misplaced lumber at the Zone 22 timber rack. The employees were attempting to re-stack a 4-inch by 10-inch (4 by10), 8-foot long board atop a stack of 4 by10's, which had shifted and partially fallen off the left end of the rack. The left end of the board was leaning on the adjacent rack, and the right end was hanging from its intended rack. Because the boards were heavy and difficult to move by hand, Employee #1 and the coworker decided to utilize a forklift to lift the piece back into place. The coworker operated the forklift, while Employee #1 assisted from the ground, standing to the left of the forklift and in front of the rack of 4 by10's. The top-most board in front of the stack was standing on its 4-inch side and in the way of the other boards, which laid flat on their 10-inch side. The coworker attempted to lift that board up, and in doing so, nudged the forks forward. The forks pushed the stack of 4 by10's from the right end of the rack, causing the stack to rotate counter-clockwise. The left end of the stacked boards swung around and rotated off of the pile, tumbling into Employee #1. Employee #1 was knocked to the ground, falling on the right hip, with several boards falling onto Employee #1. Employee #1 suffered a broken hip, and spent four days in the hospital.

Keywords: FRACTURE, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, LUMBER, FALL, STRUCK BY, HIP, LUMBER STACK