Inspection Detail

Inspection: 313382426 - Church Of Scientology International

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:30 p.m. on August 1, 2010, Employee #1 was feeding scrap paper to a large top-loading bin-type shredder. The shredder was manufactured by Vecoplan and was identified as a type RG 32/20 SwU, serial number 12123010.The employee had stacked the paper to be shredded in a large shipping crate measuring approximately 2 ft wide by 8 ft long with sides about 3 ft high. The crate with the paper had been mounted on the forks of a forklift truck and was elevated about 3 ft to 4 ft off the ground. The forklift was manufactured by Crown Forklifts and was an SC4000 series type. The top of the grinder bin was approximately 6 ft and 6 in. from the ground. The employee climbed into the crate to feed the paper from the crate to the top of the grinder. When the employee stepped to the right in the crate, the loading of the remaining paper and the employee's weight made the unsecured load on the forks unstable and the crate to flip over onto the floor. The employee was ejected from the crate and sustained serious head injuries. Employee #1 was hospitalized. The use of a forklift to bring paper to the shredder was a common practice, as was the use of the slightly elevated forks to serve as a bench or table, but such operations were conducted with the feeder standing on the ground between the crate and the shredder. Functional tests of the forklift, at the time of the inspection, did not reveal any problems with the forklift. The employer was in violation of California Code of Regulations, Title 8 Safety Orders as listed below: GENERAL VIOLATION 8 CCR 3657 (a)(2) Elevating Employees with Lift Trucks.

Keywords: EJECTED, HEAD, UNSECURED, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, UNSTABLE SURFACE, FALL, ELEVATED WORK PLAT