Inspection Detail

Inspection: 120082805 - Roscoe Moss Mfg Co

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

On February 28, 2005, an employee, a maintenance mechanic, and a coworker were mounting the carriage to the Hyster H60C Forklift by installing roller bearings onto the carriage studs and positioning the carriage into the channel of forklift's uprights using an electric yard crane. They checked the alignment of carriage to the channels by observing it travel through the length of channel and made necessary adjustments by addition or removal of shims. In the process, the carriage became bound and the inner upright rose up beyond the piston of hoist cylinder and the hoist cylinder fell out from its mounting bracket. The coworker walked over to the electric yard crane to lower the carriage, and the employee climbed up on the forklift and attempted to realign the hoist cylinder with its mounting bracket by reaching through the space between the raised inner upright and the frame of outer upright. Suddenly, the inner upright, which was bound with the carriage, came free and fell on the employee's forearms. With the help of others, the coworker raised the inner upright, using the electric yard crane and released the employee's forearm. Shortly, paramedics from Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at the site and transported the employee to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center. The employee was hospitalized and treated for fractured right open ulna fracture and left closed ulna. He was discharged from the hospital on March 2. The accident was caused because employees did not take positive means to effectively prevent inadvertent movement of the moveable parts of the forklift during its repair.

Keywords: FRACTURE, MAINTENANCE, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, STRUCK BY, ARM, FALLING OBJECT