Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1134135.015 - 69989 - Mercedes-Benz Vans Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Sc Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:30 a.m. on March 21, 2016, an employee was installing a new tire rod on the front end of a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 cab and chassis van with the gross weight of 4410 pounds at the Mercedes-Benz Vans assembly plant. The employee was replacing a defective part on a new cab and chassis van on the front end of the cab and chassis van on a creeper. The employee was working in Bay 7 of the reworking area. The van had been lifted by two Norco Fast Floor jacks with a capacity of 2 tons each. The Model Number for these jacks was 71202A and the Serial Numbers were OCD 63600083731 and OCD63600083729. It appeared the van was lowered down on two Craftsman High Lift jack stands with the capacity of 3 tons or 6000 pounds each. The Model Number for these stands was GTO704020 and the Serial Numbers were 998T9612 and 395H4802. Also found underneath the van after the accident were two blocks of spruce wood that the employee had used under the braces of the jack stands to increase the working height under the cab and chassis van . The first block of wood was 12-in. long, 3-in. wide, 2-in. thick and had a 0.5-in. gash on top of it. The second block of wood was 14-in. long, 3-in. wide, 2.5-in. thick and had 0.25-in. cut on the top and 4-in. cut on the side. The dimension of the lower support of the jack stand was 9-in. square. The parking brake for the van was not engaged and the wheels were not chocked. The employee had worked on two other vehicles on the day of the accident. The morning break started at 9 a.m. and according to his Team Leader the second bell had rung about 9:20 a.m. to signal it was time to be back working. The Team Leader was about 15-20 feet away from Bay Number 7 and could see that the employee was under the front of the van on the creeper. Suddenly, he heard a click and the van fell. The Team Leader ran to Bay Number 7 and saw that the employee was pinned under the front of the van. He immediately called the plant emergency system and reported the incident so emergency medical services could be called. The Team Leader and several other employees started working on removing the van off of the employee. The employee received multiple injuries such as cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to cardiovascular collapse due to intracranial hemorrhage, subdural hematoma, multiple bilateral rip fractures, basal skull fractures, multiple facial fractures, left vertebral artery dissection, cardiac contusion due to vehicle falling onto and crushing the employee. The employee died from his injuries at 10 a.m. on March 29, 2016. The cause of the accident was floor jacks with a base dimension of 9-in. square were placed on unstable footing or support of 12-in. by 3-in. wood instead of other firm foundation that was level, sound, rigid, and capable of supporting the loaded vehicle without settling or displacement.

Keywords: Automobile, Cardiovasc System, Crushed, Falling Object, Fracture, Jack, Pinned, Skull