Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: UNAPOPPROC

Nevada Revised Statute 618.375(1): The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which was free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees: The employer failed to ensure that a prop wall was constructed so that if was stable and would safely carry the intended load. a.Located at the MGM Conference Center, three employees (two employees were in a scissor lift and one employee was working near the wall) were injured from a prop wall that tipped over. There were no engineering specifications for the prop wall and MGM Grand Production a division of Entertainment, did not construct the prop wall so that it would safely handle the intended load. The prop wall was designed from existing "stage floor platforms". The platform framework was made from assorted sizes of square metal tubing ranging from 1/2 inch to 1 inch. 1/2 inch plywood covered the frame. The "stage floor platforms" measured 4ft wide X 8ft long X 2 ft deep. The platforms were stood up on end and connected by "C" clamps and 2"X 6" pieces of lumber to make an 8ft wide X 44ft long wall. An extra 3ft high addition was added to the top of the wall to make the wall a total of 11ft tall X 44ft long X 2ft deep. MGM Grand Production then added shelving to the face of the wall so that approximately 750 ivy plants could be placed on the wall. According to documents received from the MGM after the accident, MGM Grand Production estimated the plants being placed on the prop wall would weigh 800 pounds. However, according to documents received from the MGM and from interviews, each plant weighed approximately 1.8lbs for a total estimated weight of 1,400 pounds. To stabilize the prop wall, the six legs of the platform were each weighed down with 270 pounds of weight. The MGM Grand Production department estimated the total weight for the plates to be approximately 2000 pounds, however the actual weight was 1,152lbs. No other means of anchorage was used. The plants were stacked from the top to the bottom, covering the entire wall. The wall began to tip over from the right to the left. All three employees were working on the left side of the wall. As the wall tipped over, the wall hit the scissor lift, throwing employee's #2 and #3 who were working in the lift bucket to the ground. Employee #1 was working near the wall, and was trapped by the tipped over wall and the overturned scissor lift. All three employees were transported to the hospital. One feasible means of abatement would be to have a qualified engineer design and approve any plans prior to building or loading of a prop wall.