Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307168781 - Four Tech Glass, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At about 1:15 pm on June 19, 2006, Employee #1, with a glass installation contractor, was working at an auto dealership construction site. A large flatbed truck had arrived at the site with crates carrying 14 sheets of heavy-duty reinforced glass. Each sheet measured 4 ft by 8 ft, was 0.5625-in.-thick, and weighed about 350 lbs. Normally, the sheets in their crates would be unloaded with a forklift. However, the owner of the company had not been able to rent a forklift, and the delivery driver indicated to the employer that he needed to leave to continue work. According to the police report, the co-owner of the company admitted that he and the owner had agreed to "loose lite" the load, that is, unload each sheet individually by hand, using suction discs. This procedure was normally used for smaller sheets that arrived on inclined racks on a smaller truck. The co-owner (the site supervisor) admitted to having concerns when he observed the way the load had been shipped, and admitted that the company had never unloaded glass of that size by hand from a flatbed. At the time of the inspection, it was observed that the main shipping crate was posted with a large sign stating "Do not open any case and attempt lite by lite unloading." The company owner stated in an interview that he was aware that there is a safety regulation stating that materials being unloaded must be secured against dangerous displacement. At the time of the accident, there were two employees up on the flatbed and a foreman and the supervisor/co-owner standing in the street. Employee #1 cut the bands holding the front covers of the crates and opened the first crate on the driver's side of the flatbed to begin to separate the sheets. A safety line consisting of a single nylon rope had been tied mid-way down one of the vertical supports of the crate holder. Before this rope was anchored, the upright sheets began to tip over. According to witness statements, Employee #1 attempted to jump in front of the sheets to keep them from falling. He was knocked off the flatbed by the weight of the falling sheets and at least five sheets fell and crushed him on the street, a distance of 4.6 ft. below the flatbed. He was killed.

Keywords: UNSECURED, UNSECURED PANEL, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, CRUSHED, OFF LOADING, STRUCK BY, FLATBED TRUCK, UNSTABLE LOAD, WARNING SIGN