Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300761384 - Steve P Rados

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 11:50 a.m. on May 31, 2001, Employee #1 was supervising the loading of a standard 40 foot flatbed trailer (no tractor attached) with pipe shores used in the construction of bridges. Employee #1 was giving hand signals to the crane operator and disconnecting the slings from the loads, due to a prior injury to one of his crew, who would normally be functioning in this position. The pipe shores are schedule 80 carbon steel pipe, approximately 16 ft 9 in. long and have a 20-in. outside diameter with a 24-in.-square flange on each end. Four pipe shores (two on top of two) were bundled together using 1-1/4" steel strapping material. The bundles were being lifted by a thirty-five ton Link Belt Crane using 20 ft to 30 ft nylon slings to cradle the bundles. A single layer of four bundles were put on the truck bed, a fifth bundle was put on the right rear of the truck. The sixth bundle was placed in the center of the two forward bundles. Employee #1 was standing just right of the load center on the driver's side of the trailer. Employee #1 unhooked two sling eyes and left the other two in the hook. Employee #1 dropped the loose ends towards the driver's side of the trailer. The crane operator, who states he was given the signal to hoist up the slings, began to raise the hook with the two slings attached, drawing them up and underneath the bundle. During hoisting, one or both of the straps caught an obstacle on the driver's side of the trailer where Employee #1 was standing. As the crane began to hoist the hook, the straps became taut, pulling the bundle off the driver's side of the trailer. As the load began to fall, Employee #1 jumped from the trailer to the ground, breaking his left leg. When the bundle of shore pipe hit the ground it burst open falling back onto Employee #1, causing severe lacerations from the square flanged ends. Employee #1 suffered a fractured tibia and fibula of the left leg and severe lacerations to the right leg while trying to avoid the bundle of falling pipe shores. Employee #1 spent 3 weeks in two hospitals and had a metal rod surgically placed in his left leg.

Keywords: FRACTURE, TIBIA, LACERATION, STRUCK BY, SLING, FALLING OBJECT, CRANE, LEG, UNSTABLE LOAD