Inspection Detail

Inspection: 123153504 - Infra-Metals Company

Inspection Information - Office: Bridgeport Area Office

Investigation Summary

On November 3, 2003, Employee #1, a band saw operator, requested the supervisor to have someone bring him an empty dumpster into the south building because his scrap dumpster was full. The shift supervisor radioed a coworker from maintenance to have the coworker bring the Employee #1 an empty dumpster. When the forklift operator, who left the break room early heard this request over the radio, and was very close to the storage area of the dumpster on the western end of the facility property, offered to bring in the dumpster for Employee #1. The forklift operator retrieved an empty dumpster using the forklift and drove it into the north end garage bay of the south buildings bay Number 5. The forklift operator placed the dumpster in the center of the bay near the center of the building. The forklift operator then proceeded to back out of the bay approximately 25 to 30 ft but was motioned to stop by Employee #1, who was standing near the band saw in quadrant Number 519 and who was hoisting the full dumpster using the bay Number 5 overhead crane. The forklift operator then pulled forward approximately 5 to 10 feet. Employee #1 attached an alloy steel chain sling onto the hook of the north hoist and used the sling to attach the hoist to the north side of the dumpster. Employee #1 also attached another alloy steel chain sling onto the hook of the south hoist and used the sling to attach the hoist to the south side of the dumpster. The original location of the dumpster prior to Employee #1 moving it was in quadrant Number 517 or in the area northeast of the band saw. Employee #1 then hoisted the dumpster up off the floor five to six feet and moved it in an easterly manner over to the open area where the forklift was located in quadrant Number 515. Employee #1 landed the dumpster onto the forks of the forklift so that the scrap dumpster was up against the load backstop extension of the forklift. The forks of the forklift were tilted all the way back causing the south end of the dumpster to be tilted higher than the north side. According to the forklift operator, the front tips of the forks were 12 in. above the floor and the rear portion of the forks were approximately 6 in. above the floor. Employee #1 lowered the hoist blocks of both the north and south hoists until the south side of the dumpster slackened enough to allow the alloy steel chain sling to be removed from the dumpster. At this time, Employee #1 was standing on the south side of the dumpster between the dumpster placed on the forklift and the empty dumpster placed in the bay by the forklift operator. After removing the alloy steel chain sling from the south side of the dumpster, Employee #1, using the belly-box crane control unit engaged the hoist up lever which raised not only the south hoist but also the north hoist which was still attached with the alloy steel chain sling on the north side of the dumpster causing the north side of the dumpster to raise up tipping in a southerly direction. The bottom of the dumpster pivoted on the tip of the forks on the forklift until it slid off in an elevated state tipping over, landing on the upper and lower legs of Employee #1 with a portion of the scrap steel falling out against the torso of Employee #1, pinning the operator between the tipped over dumpster and the empty upright dumpster. The forklift operator upon seeing the dumpster tip over, jumped out of the forklift, ran to the area between the tipped over dumpster and empty dumpster only to see Employee #1 pinned. The forklift operator ran to obtain help but the sound of the incident caused employees in the break room which was 75 to 100 ft away to come out to see what the cause of the noise was. Numerous individuals called Emergency Medical Services. Police, Fire and EMS services arrived but did not extricate Employee #1l due to the catastrophic nature of the injuries and no signs of life noticeable. The unstable, tipped over dumpster contained heavy loose scrap metal prev

Keywords: PINNED, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, OVERTURN