Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126013564 - C & B Steel Inc

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:30 p.m. on June 7, 1995, Employee #1, a 25-year-old laborer with C & B Steel, Inc., was moving and stacking large steel I-beams in a storage area adjacent to a cutting machine. He was walking in the storage area when his left foot slipped between a stack of 40 foot I-beams. His fall dislodged the top beam, which slid against his left leg, pinning his foot. The employee sat down on the beam and called for assistance. Two coworkers in the vicinity came to his aid and used an overhead crane to lift the beam off his leg. The foreman arrived as the rescue was completed and called 911. Paramedics arrived in about 5 to 10 minutes and transported the employee to a local hospital. Employee #1 was placed on top of a low stack of steel beams following his rescue and remained conscious throughout the accident, rescue, and transportation to the hospital. He sustained a fracture of his left ankle and damage to ligaments above it. The estimated time away from work was six months. Employee #1 returned to half day clerical work in September while undergoing therapy .

Keywords: BEAM, FRACTURE, UNSECURED, PINNED, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, ANKLE, UNSTABLE POSITION