Inspection Detail

Inspection: 312682347 - Raphaels Party Rentals

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 5:20 p.m. on April 28, 2010, Employee #1, a warehouseman, was working at a party rental storage warehouse that was used store tents, cables, poles, and other materials for the party rental business. Employee #1 regularly worked as part of the evening shift, loading and unloading delivery trucks and sorting crates. While Employee #1 was standing in the hardware storage area, between two racks of stored material, a coworker was located on the opposite side, using an order picker to place empty barrels on the top shelf. As the picker operator was lowering the order picker, the bottom of the picker struck a wooden table that was stored on the shelf below. The table, which was already overhanging the shelf by about 1 foot, fell and struck the back of Employee #1's neck. The shelf that the table was on measured about 9 feet from the floor. Employee #1 was taken to Scripps La Jolla Hospital, where he was hospitalized and treated for a fractured neck injury.

Keywords: FRACTURE, MANUAL MAT HANDLING, NECK, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, UNSTABLE LOAD