Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300784329 - Jra Construction

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

On December 23, 2003, Employee #1 was working as contracted maintenance craftsman performing a scheduled wash-up of a Tri-Nip paper press. Employee #1 secured the blind drill roll to the underside of the press roll loading arm. The roll, weighing 23,000 lbs, was suspended from a 15-ton Acco Louden bridge crane, using a 0.625-inch wire rope that was attached to a 20.50-foot spanner bar. The spanner bar weighed 2,000 lbs and supported each end of the blind drill roll. With the roll partially secured, the shank ball end of the 0.625-inch wire rope failed and the spanner bar fell forward. Employee #1 attempted to avoid the spanner bar by jumping backwards. He fell to the platform below injuring his back. Employee #1 was hospitalized at Saint Francis Hospital in Lynwood, where he was treated for a fracture to his lower vertebrae and a head laceration. He was released seven days later. A detailed investigation determined that despite the crane having been inspected by CranePro less than two months before and a new cable installed, the fractured shank ball was undersized, measuring 16 inches less in diameter than required. Additionally, the wire of the failed shank did not run all the way through the shank ball assembly. .

Keywords: FRACTURE, HEAD, INADEQUATE MAINT, LACERATION, OVERHEAD CRANE, STRUCK BY, VERTEBRA, CRANE