Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315317289 - Ports America Outer Harbor Terminal, Llc.

Inspection Information - Office: Oakland District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:30 p.m. on February 28, 2012, a maritime crane operator for the Port of Oakland, CA harbor terminal was hoisting shipping containers on and off trailer chasses when he inadvertently lifted a container, which was still attached to an industrial truck whose driver, Employee #1, a 46-year-old male, was inside the cab at the time. Realizing his mistake, the crane operator immediately lowered the unexpected cargo from an unknown height. As a result of the oversized and over-weighted lift, the equipment reached the ground far too abruptly, causing the Employee #1 to be unsafely jostled. The industrial truck driver was not seriously injured; he was treated and released from a nearly hospital two hours later. However, there a major breach in cargo handling procedures. The on-ground signalman failed to communicate to the crane operator the unsafe nature of the mismatched container package; and the crane operator failed to wait for a signal from the ground that the lift could be safely initiated.

Keywords: IND TRK OPERATOR, SIGNALMAN, SUSPENDED LOAD, HOIST, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, CONTAINERIZED CARGO, COMMUNICATION, CRANE, INATTENTION