Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125820373 - Pacific Lumber Co

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento District Office

Investigation Summary

On January 25, 2007, Employee #1 was working at a sawmill at which the employer operated a cogeneration plant. The cogeneration plant produced electricity by burning wood waste. Employee #1 worked for the company as a shift operator. Ash and debris from the grates of a boiler bed were removed through an ash drop. Rocks and debris had plugged the bottom of the ash drop on Boiler "A," and Employee #1 was cleaning the material out. He was standing on a ladder at a height of, he estimated, approximately 3 to 5 feet above the floor to clean the ash drop of debris. He leaned too far to the side of the ladder, and the leg of the ladder collapsed. Employee #1 jumped from the ladder as it slid sideways and fell to the floor. He twisted his left knee when he landed, and he sustained a fracture. He was hospitalized for surgery to his left knee.

Keywords: KNEE, ASH, BOILER, CLEANING, LADDER, FALL, SAWMILL, FALLING OBJECT