Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300759743 - Nautilus Marine Protection

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 3:35p.m. on October 30, 2000, Employee #1, a welder, had his legs crushed when an intermodal container (20'X 8'X 8'6") slipped off the rear of a truck that was relocating the container in the employers yard. The container held heavy duty wenches and wire rope and was estimated to weigh 6000 pounds. The employer is engaged in removing debris from the Los Angeles river bed. The worksite sits on approximately 1/4 acre and consists of a mobile office trailer, two intermodal storage containers, a 25 ton crane and two small watercraft to access boom systems on the river. On the day of the accident a subcontractor (Owner/Operator), was hired to move the intermodal container from one side of the yard to the other, approximately 50 feet. The intermodal container was pulled up onto the rails of a trash bin collection truck, which is designed to pull trash bins with a channel on the bottom that secures the bin to the rails. The rails were at an approximate 30 to 45 degree angle (See T8 CCR 4345, Figure RC-2, Tilt Frame Equipment), the intermodal container was seated on the rails and the trash truck was not moving. Employee #1 was walking beside the right side of the container, near the cab of the trash truck, when the container came loose. Employee #1 did not notice that the rear of the container had begun to slip off the bed of the truck. The back end of the container hit the ground, causing the container to roll onto its side, trapping Employee #1. The container landed on its side trapping both of Employee #1 legs between the ground and the container. A forklift was used to lift the container and block it so that Paramedics could treat the victim. Employee #1 was transferred by Paramedics to Saint Mary's Hospital, Intensive Care Unit; treated for his injuries and hospitalized for 30 days. Employee #1 lost both legs, from just below the hip, as a result of the accident. The causal factors that contributed to the accident were that the container was not secured to the bed of the truck; the truck was not designed to lift or transport intermodal containers; and the proximity of Employee #1 to the truck. Employee #1 was hospitalized.

Keywords: FRACTURE, AMPUTATED, SLIP, CONTAINERIZED CARGO, FALLING OBJECT, LEG