Inspection Detail

Inspection: 313385478 - Shultz Steel Company

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 3:10 a.m. on October 24, 2011 Employee #1 a maintenance mechanic of Shultz Steel Company suffered an open fracture and crushing injury to his left heel due to being struck by a forklift. At the time of the accident, Employee #1 was performing a regularly assigned task of operating an overhead crane in the attempt to move a hearth hood from the hearth to a storage location. While Employee #1 was moving the hearth hood his attention was focused on his task, he was moving along the south end of the hood on foot to ensure that the hood was over the locating posts. Simultaneously, another a coworker was operating a 35,000 pound capacity forklift in reverse, in the immediate area, moving a press die from the hearth. He observed the other employees working in the area to his left rear and sounded his forklift horn to alert them to his presence; in addition the automatic forklift audible back-up alarm was operating at the time. The coworker began to back up while looking over his right shoulder in the direction of his travel when he heard a scream from his left rear, he stopped, looked and observed that Employee #1 had moved from his previous location and was now lying on the floor screaming in pain, adjacent to the left rear wheel of the forklift. He immediately stopped his forklift to aid him. It was determined that the left rear wheel had struck the left heel of Employee #1 resulting in a severe open fracture and crushing injury requiring surgery and prolonged hospitalization.

Keywords: FRACTURE, CRUSHED, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, STRUCK BY