Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307164335 - Pouk & Steinle Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At about 7:15 a.m. on March 23, 2005, Employee #1 was a permanent employee of Pouk & Steinle, Inc., an electrical contractor working for the electric utility Southern California Edison in Monrovia, CA. The accident occurred at a Southern California Edison substation, and it was reported by the safety manager for Pouk & Steinle. Employee #1 was a journeyman lineman with 17 years of experience in the trade. On the day of the accident, Employee #1 was assigned to a crew that was loading equipment at the Southern California Edison substation in preparation for work. Employee #1 was looking for his tape measure, which was located in a cabinet attached to a bucket truck. The truck was manufactured by International, and it had California license plate number CA 39983 and company equipment number 3042. Before approaching the bucket truck, Employee #1 noticed that a first step apprentice in training, a coworker, was extending the outriggers from the bucket truck. Employee #1 made eye contact with him. He also made a hand signal for the coworker to stop extending the outriggers, a signal that the coworker understood. Employee #1 knew that the witness understood the hand signal, because the coworker stopped actuating the controls that extended the outriggers. Employee #1 then approached the boom truck and opened a cabinet door, looking for the tape measure. Suddenly an alarm triggered by the outrigger extension controls sounded, and instantly an outrigger came down and crushed the big toe and the adjacent toe on Employee #1's right foot. Employee #1 sustained multiple fractures of the big toe and a fracture of the adjacent toe. Employee #1 was transported to Foothill Medical Clinic, where he was diagnosed and then referred to Citrus Valley Community Hospital. He was admitted there, and he was treated and released the following day, following surgery. Employee #1's stay in the hospital exceeded 24 hours. The causal factor leading to the accident was a miscommunication between Employee #1 and the coworker. Employee #1 knew better from his extensive training that he was not to approach the boom truck while the outriggers were being extended.

Keywords: BOOM TRUCK, FRACTURE, E GI III, ELECTRICAL, OUTRIGGER, CONTROL LEVER, CAUGHT BY, CRUSHED, ELEC UTILITY WORK, FOOT