Inspection Detail

Inspection: 301168878 - Vulcraft Division Of Nucor Corp.

Inspection Information - Office: Utah Division Of Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was hoisting web joists from the floor into dip tanks for painting, a job that he had performed many times. He was painting a stack of eight joists, two at a time, and the first six had proceeded smoothly. On the last two web joists, he initially loaded them onto the hook with the open face away from their body/position. The joists were hoisted just off the floor, positioned away from the storage rack, and then lowered. To eliminate a step in the process, Employee #1 repositioned the hook so that the open face was toward their body/position. He again hoisted the load off the floor, but it was unbalanced and Employee #1 had to lower it for repositioning. He was bringing down the load when the left end struck the storage rack approximately 1 ft from the floor. The edge of the nearest joist struck the rack, quickly tipping the joist on its side. As it was positioned on the hook with the open face toward Employee #1, the joist fell out of the hook. It struck Employee #1's left leg and ankle, knocking him to the ground, and fracturing his ankle.

Keywords: FRACTURE, JOIST, HOISTING MECHANISM, UNSECURED, LOAD SHIFT, STRUCK AGAINST, MECH MAT HANDLING, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, LEG