Inspection Detail

Inspection: 313510638 - Con-Way Freight Inc

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 12:30 p.m. on August 14, 2010, Employee #1 was working for a long-distance, less-than-truckload, general freight trucking company in Fontana, CA. She loaded, transported, and unloaded freight on trucks and tractor-trailers. At the time of the accident, she was unloading a truck, a normal task for her. She had 5 months of experience in this position, and 8 years total as a forklift operator, including time with another company. Employee #1 had already removed two pallets with freight from the back of the truck. She parked her forklift in the back of the truck and approached (on foot) a steel plate that was positioned vertically, leaning up against the right-hand sidewall of the truck. The steel plate measured approximately 4 feet tall by 8 feet wide, and it was estimated to weigh approximately 1,200 lbs. When Employee #1 touched the steel plate to see if there was a label on the far side, she recognized that the plate was not stable. As Employee #1 backed away from the plate, she saw that it was starting to tip toward her. Employee #1 quickly turned to move, but she was struck in the back of her right leg by the plate. She sustained a fracture in her lower leg and was knocked to the ground. Employee #1 was able to pull herself out from under the plate and out of the back of the truck. A coworker saw her and called for help. Employee #1 was transported by the San Bernardino County Fire Department to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, CA, where she was admitted for treatment.

Keywords: STEEL PLATE, FRACTURE, IND TRK OPERATOR, WAREHOUSE, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, TRUCK, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, LOADING DOCK, UNSTABLE POSITION