Inspection Detail

Inspection: 311495998 - Sticker Corp.

Inspection Information - Office: Cleveland Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 11:00 a.m. on March 14, 2008, Employee #1, a press brake operator, was working at a small steel fabricating and machining shop. Employee #1 was apparently conducting a task in which the press break operator attached a chain sling C-clamp lifting device to a steel plate and moved the plate vertically in front of the press brake. The operator used a pry bar and/or his body to move the plate into the die frame opening, as he lowered the crane down and away from the press, until the plate was horizontal and could be moved to the designated markings for bending. The plate was bent and removed from the press, and the process was repeated until all four edges of the plate were bent. Employee #1 was operating a pendant-controlled overhead crane to load a large steel plate into a press brake. The steel plate was 0.5 inches thick by 7 feet, 7 inches high by 12 feet wide and weighed 1,868 pounds. It was suspended vertically from the crane and was secured to the crane using a C-clamp attached to a chain sling. The load was suspended over Employee #1 and was not properly secured to the crane. The plate fell from the C-clamp and landed horizontally on Employee #1, who was killed. Employee #1 was working alone and no one witnessed the fatality.

Keywords: STEEL PLATE, MACHINE OPERATOR, SUSPENDED LOAD, OVERHEAD CRANE, STRUCK BY, SLING, FALLING OBJECT, CRANE, UNSTABLE LOAD