Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300960762 - Grayson Lumber Corporation

Inspection Information - Office: Birmingham Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was working with stacks of lumber that were three tiers high. Each tier consisted of 8 ft long 2 by 4s, approximately 23 boards (layers) high and 40 boards across. Each layer was separated by kiln sticks, and each stack was separated by "bunks" of 2 by 4s. The stacks were automatically stacked at the sawmill, with the kiln sticks already in place. The forklift driver transported each stack to the flat cars, which were on tracks approximately 1 ft above the rail tracks. The tracks led straight in the kiln. The forklift driver placed the stacks, one on top of another, until they were three stacks high. The number of stacks laid lengthwise depended on the length of the boards being loaded into the 80 ft long kiln. The stacked boards were between 8 and 16 ft in length and, normally, five to seven stacks, lengthwise, were loaded into the kiln at a time. Once the desired number of stacks were loaded, the forklift operator drove to the end of the stacks opposite the entrance to the kiln and pushed the lumber into the kiln. On the day of the accident, Employee #1's job was to place the bunks on top of each stack before it was lifted into place. After he was found to have been missing for about two hours, Employee #1's body was found smashed in an approximately 8 in. space between two stacks of lumber. It is not clear why he was between the stacks, because his job did not require him to pass in that area. It was also not clear why the stacks came together while he was between them. The stacks were not easily moved. Although they were on wheeled cars and the wheels were greased often, it normally took a forklift to get the cars moving. The general manufacturer speculated that somehow the stacks were accidentally bumped by the forklift, which put the car(s)/stack(s) in motion as Employee #1 was passing between them. The forklift operator, who had worked with Employee #1 for years and was a close friend, had no knowledge of making such a bump nor could he recall detecting one. None of the coworkers could provide any information as to what could have caused Employee #1's accident, or the actual time it occurred. Nothing obtained during the subsequent inspection indicated any violation of OSHA standards.

Keywords: STRUCK AGAINST, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, LUMBER, MECH MAT HANDLING