Inspection Detail

Inspection: 120129457 - J H Baxter

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At about 9:00 a.m. on December 8, 1994, Employee #1 and a coworker, who work for a power pole manufacturer, were in the company's yard sorting poles. The coworker was moving the poles while Employee #1, on foot, categorized them by class and length. The coworker was driving a Patrick model ARR10 articulated front end loader with hold-down arms for securing the poles lying on the forks. The coworker had removed a row of poles from a pile and was in process of setting them down on skids. As the coworker was pulling back out from under the load, Employee #1 walked from the butt end of the poles in the load to an area alongside the poles. As the front end loader moved out from under the poles, the forks knocked a pole away from the rest of the load. The pole came to rest on his right lower leg, breaking the tibia and fibula. He was hospitalized and a rod had to be surgically implanted in the tibia. Employee #1 and the loader driver disagreed as to when the individual on foot grading the poles was supposed to walk alongside them; the poles cannot be graded without walking along them. The company-approved procedure had not been documented. Apparently, Employee #1 forgot or was not instructed that he was to remain at the butt end area until the front end loader had completely cleared the poles. Why the poles cannot be labeled as to class and length at one or both ends is not known.

Keywords: FRACTURE, FRONT END LOADER, WORK RULES, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, UTILITY POLE, INATTENTION, LEG, UNSTABLE LOAD