Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300757945 - Kole Imports

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was restacking 10 ft tall by 6 ft wide by 2 in. thick wall slats that had fallen over after having been placed in a trailer the previous day. The trailer was in the middle of being loaded when the work day ended, and it was stored overnight and then reopened the next day to continue loading. When the trailer was reopened, the workers found that the slat walls had fallen over; Employee #1 and a coworker were instructed to upright them. Employee #1 was picking up the fallen walls, one by one, from the bed and passing them to his coworker, who was holding them vertical. He was getting ready to pick up the eighth wall when the coworker lost control of the upright units and they started to fall. The coworker yelled, but Employee #1 was bent over and before he could react, he was struck by the falling walls. He sustained a 7 in. laceration on the left side of his scalp and a crushed left hand. The coworker called for help and Employee #1 was transported to the hospital, where he was treated and released. After the swelling on his left hand had subsided, it was determined that he had fractured his hand. The wall slats had not been stored properly. Employee #1 was a temporary worker at a wholesale distributor of general merchandise for Dollar Only stores.

Keywords: LOADING, FRACTURE, HEAD, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, LACERATION, STRUCK BY, HAND, OVERTURN, UNSTABLE POSITION