Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307164764 - Kaiser Aluminum

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Inspection Nr: 307164764

Report ID: 0950642

Date Opened: 05/04/2005

Site Address:
Kaiser Aluminum
6250 Bandini Bl
Commerce, CA 90040

Mailing Address:
, , 00000

Union Status: NonUnion

SIC:3354

NAICS: 331316/Aluminum Extruded Product Manufacturing

Inspection Type: Accident

Scope: Partial

Advanced Notice: N

Ownership: Private

Safety/Health: Safety

Close Conference: 05/04/2005

Planning Guide: Safety-Manufacturing

Emphasis:

Case Closed: 01/02/2008

Related Activity
Type	Activity Nr	Safety	Health
Accident	101057008

Violation Summary
Violations/Penalties	Serious	Willful	Repeat	Other	Unclass	Total
Initial Violations	1					1
Current Violations	1					1
Initial Penalty	$22,500	$0	$0	$0	$0	$22,500
Current Penalty	$18,000	$0	$0	$0	$0	$18,000
FTA Penalty	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0

Violation Items
#	Citation ID	Citaton Type	Standard Cited	Issuance Date	Abatement Due Date	Current Penalty	Initial Penalty	FTA Penalty	Contest	Latest Event	Note
1.	01001	Serious	3203 A	08/04/2005	08/17/2005	$18,000	$22,500	$0	09/12/2005	F - Formal Settlement

Investigation Summary

Investigation Nr: 201059722

Event: 04/21/2005

Employee's Foot Is Fractured by Falling Crowbar

At about 2:30 p.m. on April 21, 2005, Employee #1, a 48-year-old manager, was passing by the remelt area, when a coworker, a welder, called him and tried to ask for something. Employee #1 did not understand what the coworker was asking for, since the coworker did not speak English clearly and there was a lot of noise in the area. He thought that the coworker was asking him for help and Employee #1 took off. The coworker was going to stand on the side plate, which was set on two 4 by 4s on each side, at the end of the charge table. The coworker was going to weld it in place. The metal plate weighed approximately 1,200 lbs. The bottom side of the plate measured 16 ft 5 in. Its top side measured 12 ft 3 in. and was 2-ft wide, and 1-in. thick. Employee #1 grabbed a piece of a sheet metal bar measuring 4 ft long by 3 in. wide, and 1 in. thick. He used it as a crowbar to try to lift the plate, to accommodate another set of 4 by 4s. While lifting the plate, the piece of metal sheet that Employee #1 was using as a crowbar, slipped off and the plate came down. The crowbar pushed Employee #1 and knocked him down, falling on Employee #1, who was in a seating position with his left foot under the plate. Employee #1's left foot was slightly turned to the right. Therefore, when the plate came down on his foot, it was forced more to the right, causing a comminuted fracture of his tibia and fibula. Another worker, who was there with the forklift, went to help him. Employee #1 asked him to notify another supervisor, who then notified the Safety Manager. The Safety Manager drove Employee #1 to an industrial clinic Technimed, where he underwent a surgery and was hospitalized. The causal factor leading to the accident was the fact that Employee #1 was not trained how to lift safely and support the metal plate in a manner, which would prevent an inadvertent movement.

Keywords: FRACTURE, TIBIA, WELDER, WELDING, METAL SHEET, FALLING OBJECT, FOOT

Investigated Inspection
#	Inspection	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation
1	307164764			Hospitalized injury	Fracture	Personnel and labor relations managers

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